Crown Primary School Community Garden, was delighted to be awarded a sum of £500 from Dobbies ‘Here We Grow’ Community Fund at the end of November 2013, for our project. This was then kindly matched by the gift of timber planters and compost from Scotbark. The outcome is a new series of raised based at the main and South West facing entrance to the school. This area contributes to the Crown Conservation Area, as does the wider school grounds.
ANOTHER PHASE OF THE GARDEN
As a school and community, we have been gardening at the rear of the school for 10 years, in the nursery garden, and 3 years in the adjacent walled garden, with some structural and much seasonal planting, across a number of raised beds and planters. We embrace the philosophies of the Eco-Schools programme and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and firmly believe that gardening in the school promotes outdoor learning and understanding of environment. Specifically it delivers educational, recreational and health benefits for the very youngest members of society.
In planning for the continued development of the school garden, over the summer of 2013, we had identified the need to increase the number of fruiting bushes and trees across the grounds along with an improvement of two main areas of the school: the front entrance/garden to Kingsmills Road, and the areas to the entrances for the Primary 1’s, to form outdoor classrooms. Over the summer we also registered for Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen-Garden Project, which links up school gardens to school kitchens, promoting a holistic fork to fork understanding of growth and consumption of garden produce. Consequently, the arrival of Dobbies to Inverness, in Autumn 2013, and the news of their associated Community Fund brought the chance for the school to take plans forward.
In our school garden it relatively easy to sow annuals for the summer, and even for autumn, with the children. However it is hugely important for children to experience what grows seasonally, on a year round basis (and not just edibles). This will give them firsthand experience of what grows, where and when. With the award made by Dobbies, and given that it was made at the end of the year, it gave us a chance to select a variety of plants which come into being in winter and spring, and to extend the possibilities within the school garden.
On visiting Dobbies, we elected to use the funds, in the main, for structural and fruiting plant purchases. These included 3 fruit trees: two ‘Morello’ cherries and an ‘Egremont Russet’ apple, a couple of fruiting bushes, some permanent planting (including buxus, heathers, hellebores, dogwoods etc), and spring bulbs. This planting was all zoned for the front garden.
On announcing the news of the award at the school, this acted as a catalyst for change and good. Glenda Catto, a parent of a pupil in the school, and an owner of Inverness based Scotbark kindly matched the award and gifted the school a pallet of timber and associated kit plus a supply of compost so that we could build a series of additional planters within the school grounds.
With a team of parent helpers, both mums and dads, an army of school children plus Mrs Hutchinson (a teacher who is highly committed to the garden), over a freezing fortnight in December we built and planted up seven new planters for the front garden. We also moved a couple of underutilised benches from elsewhere in the school grounds to bring this area together, in design terms. The result is a beautiful new front garden to be enjoyed by both the school and the local community. And as spectacular as the garden was in the run up to Christmas, the full joy is yet to come, when the fruit trees burst into blossom this spring!
Many thanks to Fiona MacBeth, Hamish Davidson and all at Dobbies. We are very grateful for the award, and it has been used wisely. Equally our thanks go out to Glenda Catto, and all at Scotbark. We recognise that Christmas came early to Crown.
OPEN WELCOME TO LOCAL SCHOOL GROUPS
For other local schools who may brouse this website, please note we openly welcome visits from you, to exchange ideas and experience; especially if you are just starting off. This can be arranged at anytime with a little notice.
ANOTHER PHASE OF THE GARDEN
As a school and community, we have been gardening at the rear of the school for 10 years, in the nursery garden, and 3 years in the adjacent walled garden, with some structural and much seasonal planting, across a number of raised beds and planters. We embrace the philosophies of the Eco-Schools programme and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and firmly believe that gardening in the school promotes outdoor learning and understanding of environment. Specifically it delivers educational, recreational and health benefits for the very youngest members of society.
In planning for the continued development of the school garden, over the summer of 2013, we had identified the need to increase the number of fruiting bushes and trees across the grounds along with an improvement of two main areas of the school: the front entrance/garden to Kingsmills Road, and the areas to the entrances for the Primary 1’s, to form outdoor classrooms. Over the summer we also registered for Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen-Garden Project, which links up school gardens to school kitchens, promoting a holistic fork to fork understanding of growth and consumption of garden produce. Consequently, the arrival of Dobbies to Inverness, in Autumn 2013, and the news of their associated Community Fund brought the chance for the school to take plans forward.
In our school garden it relatively easy to sow annuals for the summer, and even for autumn, with the children. However it is hugely important for children to experience what grows seasonally, on a year round basis (and not just edibles). This will give them firsthand experience of what grows, where and when. With the award made by Dobbies, and given that it was made at the end of the year, it gave us a chance to select a variety of plants which come into being in winter and spring, and to extend the possibilities within the school garden.
On visiting Dobbies, we elected to use the funds, in the main, for structural and fruiting plant purchases. These included 3 fruit trees: two ‘Morello’ cherries and an ‘Egremont Russet’ apple, a couple of fruiting bushes, some permanent planting (including buxus, heathers, hellebores, dogwoods etc), and spring bulbs. This planting was all zoned for the front garden.
On announcing the news of the award at the school, this acted as a catalyst for change and good. Glenda Catto, a parent of a pupil in the school, and an owner of Inverness based Scotbark kindly matched the award and gifted the school a pallet of timber and associated kit plus a supply of compost so that we could build a series of additional planters within the school grounds.
With a team of parent helpers, both mums and dads, an army of school children plus Mrs Hutchinson (a teacher who is highly committed to the garden), over a freezing fortnight in December we built and planted up seven new planters for the front garden. We also moved a couple of underutilised benches from elsewhere in the school grounds to bring this area together, in design terms. The result is a beautiful new front garden to be enjoyed by both the school and the local community. And as spectacular as the garden was in the run up to Christmas, the full joy is yet to come, when the fruit trees burst into blossom this spring!
Many thanks to Fiona MacBeth, Hamish Davidson and all at Dobbies. We are very grateful for the award, and it has been used wisely. Equally our thanks go out to Glenda Catto, and all at Scotbark. We recognise that Christmas came early to Crown.
OPEN WELCOME TO LOCAL SCHOOL GROUPS
For other local schools who may brouse this website, please note we openly welcome visits from you, to exchange ideas and experience; especially if you are just starting off. This can be arranged at anytime with a little notice.