Ladysmith Junior School in Exeter has won first prize in The Salvage Garden’ competition. Organised by Devon Wildlife Trust and sponsored by St. Bridget Nurseries, the competition was open to all schools in Exeter as part of the Exeter Wild City project. The aim was to design and construct a small garden using items the school children had ‘salvaged’ and then create habitats using a variety of plants that would encourage wildlife into the garden.
Katie Richardson, Olivia Didon and Euan Gethin, all aged 10, scoured the school for things that were old, broken or no longer used. These included a teacher’s desk, chair, toilet, broken sports equipment and ancient items found gathering dust at the back of the science cupboard. The children used them to make a water feature, a mouse house, bird feeders and many different kinds of planters that were then filled with nectar-rich flowers and other plants that would attract a variety of wildlife.
Mrs Lynda Ewin, teaching assistant who supervised the project said: ‘The children had great fun sourcing all the items to form the basis of the garden. They were so enthusiastic and creative and the garden has generated so much interest from pupils, staff and parents who have watched a pile of junk being transformed into a vibrant, living structure.’
The school has won a behind-the-scenes tour of St. Bridget Nurseries for one class and each child will bring back a plant to further enhance the school grounds.
Paul Martin, DWT's Education Officer said: 'The imagination and creativity shown by all the children involved in the competition was fantastic. The winners displayed that extra spark and really made great use out of what they had to hand. This mix of recycling and wildlife gardening has clearly inspired the children to think about new ways of creating innovative spaces in their school grounds.'
Katie Richardson, Olivia Didon and Euan Gethin, all aged 10, scoured the school for things that were old, broken or no longer used. These included a teacher’s desk, chair, toilet, broken sports equipment and ancient items found gathering dust at the back of the science cupboard. The children used them to make a water feature, a mouse house, bird feeders and many different kinds of planters that were then filled with nectar-rich flowers and other plants that would attract a variety of wildlife.
Mrs Lynda Ewin, teaching assistant who supervised the project said: ‘The children had great fun sourcing all the items to form the basis of the garden. They were so enthusiastic and creative and the garden has generated so much interest from pupils, staff and parents who have watched a pile of junk being transformed into a vibrant, living structure.’
The school has won a behind-the-scenes tour of St. Bridget Nurseries for one class and each child will bring back a plant to further enhance the school grounds.
Paul Martin, DWT's Education Officer said: 'The imagination and creativity shown by all the children involved in the competition was fantastic. The winners displayed that extra spark and really made great use out of what they had to hand. This mix of recycling and wildlife gardening has clearly inspired the children to think about new ways of creating innovative spaces in their school grounds.'
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