Hertfordshire Gardens Trust | Helping Schools To Garden

HGT School Grounds Awards 2010

"Your gift has made a big difference to our school". This came in a beautifully handwritten and illustrated thank you letter from a young member of the gardening club whose school had received an award and is one of the many reasons why we want to continue funding the awards. Thanks to money raised by Gini Trower and her Travelling Souk we gave away a record amount of money in 2010 and 22 schools benefited.

The awards go to all sorts of primary school projects which improve the grounds in many different ways. Our criteria broadened this year to include efforts to encourage wildlife so one school in Borehamwood was awarded funds for equipment to make use of the pond they had unearthed and restored. In Maple Cross we financed a small greenhouse so the growing season could be extended and this was in a school where they were already growing produce to use in their school kitchen. Almond Hill School in Stevenage had persuaded Glaxo to spend a day making a garden for them. The day I visited, 40 scientists were on a community day making raised beds, putting up fences and digging with great gusto and our contribution was going towards the tools the children would need to make full use of it. We are returning here to give a wheelbarrow workshop so they get the growing season off to an enthusiastic start.

The judges visit the main award winners to hand over the cheques. We are greeted with committed staff and enthusiastic children proud to show off their achievements and eager to share their ambitions for their project however small. Our chairman visited Bonneygrove in Cheshunt where he was met by 4 mothers who run the gardening club. According to him their veg patch is superb and everyone was wildly enthusiastic and organised. One child asked him “Does it make you happy coming on a school visit like this?” The answer of course is that it makes all of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust happy too.

Bella Stuart-Smith

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