Major prize for New Forest restaurant with rooms

The Nurse’s Cottage Restaurant with Rooms, in the New Forest, is the South-East England regional winner of the Edge Awards 2007, with a prize of £5,000 for further investment into training and development of young people. The restaurant battled it out to win the small business category and will now go through to the national finals to be held in November.

Edge is an independent foundation dedicated to raising the desirability and status of vocational and practical learning among 14 - 25 year olds of all levels of ability.

Established in 1992, The Nurse’s Cottage at Sway near Lymington, Hampshire, is a five-bedroom business with a conservatory restaurant also open to non-residents. It has been dedicated to training young people since 1998 and has overseen over 80 youngsters through its one-to-one mentoring scheme.

Andy Powell, CEO of Edge said, “Edge is delighted to award this prize to The Nurse’s Cottage. The restaurant has shown that it is creating some valuable experiences for young people in the South East and has shown that hands-on learning is good for employers and employees alike. This is a great example of the good work we want to praise and reward.”

The Edge Awards rewards organisations that provide outstanding learning opportunities for 14–25 year-olds and is also rewarding individuals for their learning achievements. This year Edge is awarding over £300,000 to employers that provide quality apprenticeships, excellent work placements and other practical learning opportunities.

Tony Barnfield, Chef/Proprietor of The Nurse’s Cottage said: “I’m really delighted to receive this prestigious award, especially as Edge and The Nurse’s Cottage share the same ethos in our approach to encouraging young people to gain experience of the world of work, giving them the chance to start out on the right path”

For more information, visit Edge.co.uk.