New Years Day

I popped up to the school garden on New Years Day 2009 to prune back the grape vines. We hard pruned some and were less brutal with the others. Whilst there we planted some left over bulbs but I think that it was probably too late as they don't appear to have come to anything yet.

Compost Bins Oh Rats!

We had a great compost bin provided with our garden. It had removable wooden slats at the front and parent Pete spent a lot of time working out a way to fix a clear perspex cover to the front with access door so that the children could look and see the various stages of decomposition of all the schools fruit waste over the following months.

BUT

we got visitors.... unwelcome visitors!!!!!






So we had to shut up shop and stop using the compost bin for food waste. These visitors also burrowed underneath the raised beds, displaces lots of soil and then the beds collapsed. Pests, pests, pests. We were learning fast.

New compost bins were ordered from the council. Pest free ones. we take the health and safety of our children very seriously and so we are going to do all that we can to encourage these visitors to stay away and visit elsewhere. All tips will be warmly appreciated.

The Grand Opening

Midway through the installation of the Dorset Cereals Edible Garden a message was received from the School Secretary informing us that a special visitor was coming to the school at the beginning of the September term to look around the new building. Someone had decided that it would be nice idea to get the special visitor to officially open the new garden!

Nothing like a bit of pressure… not only did we have to get the garden built but we had to get it finished to a standard to do justice to the designer Nick Williams-Ellis and also Dorset Cereals who would be also invited to the opening.

It was all very mysterious to start with. Lots of whispered speculation about the special visitor, then a little more information, ‘special royal visitor’, more whispered speculation. Finally, as we were putting the finishing touches to the garden, scrounging and pleading to get the last bit of paving laid we found out that our visitor was to be the Duke of Gloucester.

The Duke trained as an architect and was very interested in the new school and the various green initiatives that had been incorporated into the build.

The whole visit was planned with military precision; the police, Dorset County Council, and W&P B.C. were all involved. A rogue red car in the school car park had to be towed away, this was serious stuff.

The big day arrived, Wednesday 17th September, mild and dry. The Duke arrived on time and met lots of local dignitaries, the architect and Mr Cheesley and other members of staff. The whole school assembled out in the playground whilst the Duke was shown around the school. He was so impressed and asked so many questions that the timetable began to go astray and organisers could be seen worriedly checking their watches. Finally the Duke emerged and was introduced to the ‘Walking Bus’ and after donning a hi-vis jacked accompanied them up to the new garden.

The Duke was taken round the garden by Samantha and was introduced to Patrick Horton. the marketing director of Dorset Cereals and to Nick Williams-Ellis the garden designer. Still wearing the ‘Walking Bus’ waistcoat the Duke formally opened the new garden and then went on to look at the display showing the progress that had been made to turn a wilderness into a workable space.

Following the Dukes departure Nick Williams-Ellis helped with a more informal celebration of the garden by helping some of the pupils to plant two standard bay trees.

Mark Cheesley with Kate Gosling hands a thank you letter to the marketing director of Dorset Cereals, Patrick Horton.



The Duke Officially Opens the New Garden



The lucky pupils allowed up to the garden to witness the big event were our 'Walking bus', our School Council and our 'Eco Warriers'.



Helen Toft, Danyel Cornick, Serena Hayre and Samantha Lucken

Jack Wiston, Joselyn Savill and Tom Wood help Nick plant a bay tree.

Samantha, Harry Hutchinson and Peggy Forden with the second bay tree

Mark Cheesley, Samantha Lucken, Nick Williams-Ellis and Patrick Horton.

Samantha Lucken, Nick Williams Ellis, Allan Goddard, Patrick Horton and the children Sarena and Danyel.

A summer of sweat

Right, let's get up to speed. The rest of the summer was spent watering the plants that we had been lucky enough to receive from the flower show. These included many herbs, one apple and 2 pear trees, a thornless blackberry, grape vines and kiwi vines, runner beans, tomatoes and a passion fruit. A rota was set up of neighbours and school families. It is such a lovely area that people were more than happy to wander up of an evening to enjoy the setting summer sun and the peace and tranquility of a summers evening.
This gives me a chance to thank the watering team:
Helen, Emma, Moira, Pete and James, Sian, Fiona and of course my family for putting up with my long abscences.

We had 2 more major work days in the summer holidays where we continued putting the garden together but also doing a massive clear up of the whole environmental area. Boy had it become overgrown in only 12 months. We joined up many many extension leads to get electrical equipment into the garden (namely for brew time!!) and begged and borrowed petrol mowers and strimmers. Everyone worked really hard and totally transformed the area. We rewarded ourselves with a great little BBQ.


Here follows some shots of the summer garden team working really hard to get the garden ready for the start of school in Spetmenber:

Up goes the sedum roof

Allan and Zoe Goddard from Goddards Landscapes had been looking after the sedum roof for us until we were ready to have it placed back on top of the shed. They very kindly came to the garden and put it on in the pouring rain. Thank you Allan and Zoe.

Here come the boys

All that was left now was for the planting, the sedum roof and the PATH.




Jason, Michael and Nigel came to the rescue and gave up many many weekends to get the brick path relayed for which we are all eternaly grateful.

Here come the girls

During the sunny summer (!?!?!?) we managed to get a group of mothers and children to come in and help fill our beds with 15 tons of top soil from Eco-soil. It took all day but the children loved it. Washing machines were on full pelt that night!!!

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