CHRISTMAS came early for two members of staff at the Skylark Country Garden Centre at Wimblington when Fenland District Council turned up bearing gifts that recognised their hard work. Bart Woodbine, Skylark s store manager, and Andromeda Kennington, the

CHRISTMAS came early for two members of staff at the Skylark Country Garden Centre at Wimblington when Fenland District Council turned up bearing gifts that recognised their hard work.

Bart Woodbine, Skylark's store manager, and Andromeda Kennington, the caf� manager, were presented with certificates gained for completing the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's Level 2 Health and Safety in the Workplace course.

Cllr Peter Murphy, FDC's portfolio holder responsible for environmental health, and course tutor Vanessa Smithers handed over the certificates on the shop floor - and Santa popped up to oversee the ceremony.

The seven-hour course covers all aspects of health and safety, including first aid, risk assessment, manual handling and occupational health. It is one of a number of training courses delivered by the Food and Safety team, which is also responsible for inspecting premises and ensuring that they meet the required standards.

Delivering low-cost training is one of the main ways in which the team helps businesses to ensure that their workplaces are safe. Courses are delivered either at Fenland Hall in March or the Boathouse business centre in Wisbech or at businesses' own premises. The team also sends out a twice-yearly newsletter and has produced a free health and safety workbook.

For more details, call Vanessa Smithers, FDC food and safety officer, on 01354 654321 or email vsmithers@fenland.gov.uk