A FAMILIAR face at Where Next is to retire at the end of this month after 35 years with the charity.
Nick Houghton was the first person to be employed by the charity and ran the garden nursery at its main Easemore Road site in Redditch, developing it from a disused dump to a working and well respected horticultural hub.
Nick’s care and commitment to the welfare of the clients the charity supports, adults with learning disabilities, is echoed in the years that many of them have stayed with the organisation.
He managed a dedicated team which gained recognition for their work throughout the local community and further afield.
Together they won a gold award for Redditch in the England in Bloom competition 2012, many awards at the long running West Midlands Flower Show.
On a personal level, in 2015 Nick was given a Pride of Redditch award.
More recently his role shifted to help the charity in its horticultural efforts in the community, leaving the garden nursery and the charity’s clients in the more than capable hands of the team he helped to develop.
“Throughout my time at Where Next I’ve worked with some lovely people and we’ve done some amazing things. I will certainly miss it,” said Nick.
The chair of Where Next Tim Twynam said: “The charity will not be the same without him, but Nick will be leaving safe in the knowledge that the great work the charity does will continue and will go from strength to strength.
“Where Next thanks Nick for his years of service and dedication that he contributed to the charity’s success and wishes him all the best in the future.”
