Four local schools received a bundle of tools from St Bridget Nurseries in Exeter yesterday (20^th November) as part of a recycling project called, “Tools Shed” run by The Conservation Foundation.

Broken and unwanted gardening hand tools were donated by St Bridget Nurseries’ customers at their Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary garden centre. The donated tools were then sent to Dartmoor prison where they were repaired and refurbished by prisoners. The finished tools were given away to Clyst St Mary Primary School, Lady Seaward’s Primary School Clyst St George, WESC Foundation, St Peter’s High School Exeter at a special presentation event held at the garden centre. Further bundles are going to be presented to Topsham School, Sampford Peverell Primary School and Hazeldown Primary School Teignmouth in due course.  

The tools were handed out in ‘starter packs’, a mix of eight different tools including trowels, hand forks, spades, rakes and hand shears, by the Tools Shed South West co-ordinator, Richard Leatherby and St Bridget Nurseries Director, Tammy Falloon. The schools intend to use the smaller tools to help teach the children as well as using the larger tools for grounds maintenance and green scheme projects.

Mel Davis, Garden Centre Manager at St Bridget Nurseries co-ordinated the company’s participation and was delighted from the response customers – recycling at its best. The project is ongoing so if readers have any unwanted hand tools please drop them into the garden centre at Clyst St Mary, Exeter and they will be recycled for further schools to benefit from the scheme.

Since the pilot scheme with HMP Wandsworth in 2006, the project has helped hundreds of schools and community groups create and maintain green spaces and saved many tools from being sent to landfill. The Foundation currently works with HMPs Dartmoor, Wandsworth, High Down, Northumberland and Edinburgh and Morton Hall IRC in Lincolnshire. Cardiff and Parc Prisons join the scheme in November 2013.

Photo: WESC Foundation: Caroline Burkie (Fundraising & PR Manager), students Maurice, Dan, Patrick and Rhys) and staff enabler Pam.

Photo below of St Peter's High School pupils Toby Island and Caleb Bishop both age 11 in year 7 and two of their teachers, plus the Tools Shed co-ordinator Richard Leatherby.