Valued Youth

---

Secondary students from Henry Compton, Sacred Heart and the Bridge Academy will be tutors to primary school children

£10,000 for school’s community garden

Queen’s Manor Primary School has won a £10,000 Barclays New Futures grant to create a community vegetable garden in the school grounds.

The garden marks the school’s 100th anniversary and will be used by Queen’s Manor pupils, neighbouring schools and residents.
It was among 69 school projects across the UK to be awarded a share of £1 million in cash, resources and support from the Barclays New Futures education sponsorship scheme, which is run jointly with the charity Community Service Volunteers.

The Queen’s Manor garden comprises 11 raised beds – one for each class at the school. The children will grow vegetables, fruit and herbs.
Queen’s Manor, in Lysia Street, Fulham, will invite other local children and residents to use the garden – including pupils from Sir John Lillie Primary School and Fulham Cross Secondary School and residents from Rowberry Close and Meadowbank Close.

Headteacher Sonja Dennett said: “Pupils in years five and six helped to design the garden. We are aiming to grow organic vegetables, fruit and herbs to eat, sell and donate, in collaboration with neighbouring schools. Local businesses and residents, including elderly residents, are also involved with the project as a means of building community links.
Each class will be allocated one patch in which to grow and tend plants. We are hoping that there will be some inter-class competition with the result being some fine specimens to add to harvest assembly next year! In the mean time we will be handing over our produce to the school kitchen to be prepared and cooked for our lunches.
Through this project we are educating the children on the importance of healthy
eating and making cross-curricular links between maths, science, ICT and
personal, social and health education. We want to help children understand the
crucial role of plants as a source of food and in terms of the economy, medicine
and conserving the environment.”

Two sheds are being flown in from Canada to be installed in the Queen’s Manor
garden and the school will also buy tools and other equipment for children and
adults to use.

Queen’s Manor Primary celebrated the creation of the garden with an assembly on
Friday (12 November), featuring songs, poems and drama on the theme of
growing.
Amanda Allchorn, Barclays London community manager, and Peter Seadon-Jones,
Community Service Volunteers education advisor, presented a giant £10,000
cheque to the pupils. Other guests included education director, Sandy Adamson,
parents and governors. More…
Cllr David Williams, deputy for education, said: “This is a fantastic way for Queen’s Manor Primary to mark its 100th anniversary. The children will enjoy learning about how vegetables, fruit and herbs grow as well as eating the results. The garden will also enable Queen’s Manor to strengthen its links with other local schools and residents. We would like to thank Barclays New Futures and Community Service Volunteers for supporting this valuable project.”

Alice Wilcock, head of community affairs for Barclays PLC, said: “Barclays New Futures has enabled schools to take citizenship out of the classroom and form partnerships with local community organisations and businesses.”

 

November 21, 2004