'We have a successful garden project that started last year. The idea came from one of our Learning Assistants, who was keen to start an after school Garden Club. This included revitalising the garden (it's a BIG space and was rather sad and neglected), planting vegetables, fruit, trees and flowers. Also, the hope was to set up a weather station that linked with the classroom to record and monitor data (STEM). The plan was to have chickens, new composting facilities, water butts to preserve our rainfall and to create new play areas. The Parent Council was super excited about this and got fully onboard with helping planning, supporting funding applications and practical assistance. We were determined this would be a community project and it has encouraged us to engage with the wider community in new ways. We now have volunteers who have shared various skills with us, such as bird box and hedgehog home making. An ex-pupil brought his digger and cleared space for us to redevelop. A member of the school community did some free tree surgery for us. Another volunteer is going to wire up our IT connections, hopefully getting the kids involved to learn new skills. A local housing association assisted us with clearing weeds and rubbish. The local garden centre donated seeds and plants. These things all tie with the curriculum and current projects on employment skills and job opportunities. The response we've had to our requests for assistance is fantastic.
We applied for a grant from windfarm money to our Community Council to cover the costs. They were extremely generous, allowing the project to move forwards. We now run a weekly garden club, the children are fully involved and we encourage them to bring their own ideas and take responsibility. This club is well-attended and we welcome parent and community volunteers; it's a fantastic joined-up, inter-generational project.'
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