Update: Express and Star article on the school Garden
Last year we had a small piece of land at the side of the school that was sadly neglected and uncared for .
However lucky for the school , we had a man with a vision, Steve our wonderful gardener
Steve saw the potential and made a plan , however he needed some money to do it and lots of help .
We thought this would be a long term plan , but with the help and support of so many wonderful people , we have achieved our dream
Last summer we had a team of helpers, including parents, staff and the team from the CO-OP clearing the land
They worked hard, clearing debris and weeds and digging the ground too make it even .
The results were amazing
Our garden was starting to take shape
Lambe construction then came to help us by providing the machinery to flatten the garden and lay the slabs for our foundation. This meant that the garden would be accessible for all our children, including those children who use wheelchairs .
With the foundations of the garden laid, Steve then set about preparing the garden so it was safe, accessible and fun for all our children . with the help of some wonderful parent volunteers, Steve created a willow arch , planting boxes for each class , potato buckets for each child and storage for water cans and trowels. Each child painted a pebble which has been cemented into the ground as a lasting memory
Behind The willow arch is a story telling chair, bird feeding station and a bug hotel .
The area is amazing and full of learning opportunities for the children.
On 9th May , the garden was opened by our Schools Council and attended by the people local businesses and parents who have supported this wonderful project .
The garden is amazing and is such a wonderful and safe learning resource for all our children to experience, explore and learn in first hand . We feel incredibly lucky to have made this dream a reality and we could not have achieved this without Steve’s vison, hard work and determination and the support of local businesses and parents with donations of resources, money and their time.
A huge thank you to :
Steve Hall – Gardener at The Orchard School
Central England Co Op for their generous funds and volunteers
Dan Goodby, Faye Bowden, Mark Payne, Dave Elgood, Jack Bevan, Carl Smitheman, Jamie Joyce, Jim Cunningham, Louise Moore, Donna Goodby and Jerry Bullen
M.Lambe Construction for their generous funds and work
John Lambe, Mick Lambe, Michael Lambe, Neil Nickolds, Michael and Matt
L Healey and Gary Tong for their generous help
Stuart Smith and Chasetown Civil Engineering for their generous assistance
Homebase Oldbury for their generous donation
Shabs and the team at Londonderry Hardware for their generous donation and help
Pat and Gary at GreenLeevs Garden Centre Blackheath for their generous contributions
Volunteers Michael Shinton, Brenda and Sarah Cleaver, Steve Smith
All our children will greatly benefit from this wonderful new learning environment