BUZZY BUILDERS ‘BEE-AT’ OFF COMPETITION!

Designed by Year 9 geography pupils to encourage pollination and plant growth for bees and butterflies, the garden won first prize for an award sponsored by the Council for Protection of Rural England and the Outdoor Learning Initiative, as well as being ‘Highly Commended’ by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Geography teacher for the school, Judith Holden, said: “The garden has been recognised as a fully integrated outdoor learning initiative, combining Geography, Art, Design Technology and English classes to promote learning and understanding of sustainability and what a difference we can all make, even on a small scale.

“It was a real joy to see the enthusiasm of the children for the project, and how proud they were of their efforts in not only designing but building the garden from scratch. They were then able to talk about their experiences to the general public and help raise awareness of such an important issue.”

Building contractor Speller Metcalfe, who are currently working on a multi-million pound project at the school, donated labour and materials to the project to help realise the winning design.

Lee Holmes, Site Manager for at the School, said: “Not only is this a great scheme to encourage understanding about sustainability and the environment we live in, the pupils have been able to see their own designs come to life, and it has been an absolute pleasure to be involved in such a project.”