Apprentice Shannon, 17, is ‘sure to be big success’

Working with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and several key organisations to help find jobs for local youngsters facing record youth unemployment levels, the campaign has the ambitious target of finding 100 local companies to take on 100 apprentices in a total of 100 days.

This week, Malvern’s Holywell Water Company showed its support for the scheme by welcoming 17-year-old Shannon Brimmell to its ranks.

Director Rhys Humm. said: “We’d been interested in taking on an apprentice for a few months.

“There’s some brilliant young people not in the workplace at the moment and we felt this was an excellent opportunity for a young person to learn some new skills and develop with us in an exciting, fast-growing business.

Shannon was chosen after Mr Humm contacted Worcester College of Technology, who shortlisted eight possible candidates to send for an interview with the firm. Mr Humm said: “Shannon has been learning the administration and office systems very quickly, displaying excellent initiative and above all has a strong positive attitude.

“I’m sure she’ll be a big success here.”

Water from the original Holywell spring in Malvern was first commercially bottled by Schweppes in 1843, and the Holywell brand maintained a strong presence in the later 20th century through the efforts of John and Thelma Parkes.

Mr Humm and his father Mike restarted bottling at the Holywell in 2009, and the operation has been going from strength to strength, particularly since winning the right to use “Malvern” in its branding earlier this year.

The Malvern name had previously been absent from the shelves since the closure of the Malvern Water bottling plant at Colwall in 2010.

Mr Humm said: “We have enjoyed a fantastic start to 2012 so far.

“Holywell Malvern Spring Water now seems to be more popular than ever, with sales in March exceeding the whole of our first quarter for last year.”