PAIGNTON Zoo Environmental Park has appointed two new important additions to its gardens team.

One is arboriculturalist Ben Blades, the other is Andrew McCoryn, previously a head gardener with the National Trust.

Yorkshireman Ben Blades trained in horticulture before specialising in tree work at Merrist Wood College in Surrey.

He also worked in arboriculture when he was travelling in Australia and New Zealand, picking up additional skills along the way.

He ran his own arboriculture business in Devon for 15 years before moving to Lincolnshire. Three years on, he's back.

He said: "Working in a zoo is a totally new concept for me — here I'm doing my job alongside a wide range of very different people, from animal keepers to researchers.

"A lot of our trees are in animal enclosures — you can't just go in and work on them, you have to check the tigers are shut in first!"

Paignton Zoo has something like 2,000 trees — Ben's job is to get to know them and the landscape in which they stand, monitor their health and coordinate their care.

He said: "My aim is to improve arboricultural practices and to integrate them more fully with the running of the zoo."

Andrew McCoryn was head gardener at Coleton Fishacre and then gardens manager for Greenway, Coleton Fishacre and Compton Castle. He came to Paignton Zoo to get back to hands-on gardening: "Paignton Zoo is a complete change. And there's an excitement, an energy within the gardens team."

In addition, following the retirement of gardeners Dave Hoodless and Paul Foley, existing member of staff Martin Holt has been promoted to senior gardener.