Education Programme Takes Root
The CGT Education Programme Takes Root
by Jan Bright
The Cornwall Gardens Trust has gained real recognition for its work in developing school gardens within Cornwall. So, what exactly do we do? Within reason, anything a school asks us to, once we have carried out a reality check on the submitted plans, and have established that the children will be playing a major role. We are working with very limited funds but our experience so far shows us that money doesn’t make things happen (although it helps!) – people do. Those people are CGT volunteers, staff, parents, and pupils. The following illustration shows how rewarding this can be.
Lanreath Primary, near Looe, is a small rural school with very few staff and resources. It was gifted half an acre of derelict land adjacent to the school but was struggling to make use of it. CGT chair, Ferrers Vyvyan, and I were invited to visit the school in May 2004 to view and assess the site. The immediate reaction of the chair was to utter, ‘Terrible, just terrible’.
We found an overgrown, weed-infested field with a large sycamore in one corner and several derelict structures that swayed in the wind whistling up the valley. At the junction of two roads, the site had no safe entrance and no fencing to protect the children from passing traffic.
The Head Teacher, Jill Watts, and the children had spent months devising a wish list: they wanted two big planting beds, a performance space, a living willow structure, a quiet seating area and a wildlife/pond area and, last but by no means least, a safe entrance and secure site.
With the support of Creative Partnerships, the school and CGT began work. First, we found a contractor to clear the site and fit the gates and fencing that also act as a windbreak shaped to allow for the beautiful view out down the valley. Now we had a safe site but one that looked twice the size and quite daunting. A few deep breaths later, we paced out our ideas for all the different areas requested, adjusting as we went. I won’t pretend that this was done in a scientific way – we needed a plan on the ground to satisfy everyone and show the balance – so we moved children around with flags, sticks and bits of string until general agreement was reached!
By the summer of 2004, we had grass play areas, a bark-floored performance circle, a seating area, and the base for the willow structure. The children were thrilled to be able to start using their garden.
In the autumn, the children planted bulbs from the Field of Hope campaign along the sides of the paths.
Our proposed planting plans were for two large beds:
1. (in the children’s view) ‘jungle type’ architectural plants – Rheum palmatum, Phyllostachys viridiglauscens, Eupatorium purpureum, Ligularia ‘The Rocket’
2. plants for a hot, dry site with all year round colour, mainly yellow and silver – Artemisia latifolia and A. ‘Lambrook Silver’, Cistus corbariensis, Cynara cardunculus, Euphorbia wulfenii, Fennel, Ligustrum aureum, Phlomis fructicosa, Spartium junceum etc
The Head and staff worked with the children to research our suggested plants in books and (No. 1 favourite) the internet, and the planting plans were approved.
Chosen designer, Ele Waters of Heartwood Creations, agreed to create a ‘10_ _diameter living willow dome with grand entrance’ to the main part of the garden. This was completed in February 2005.
Ele (kneeling) with children of Lanreath School
Ele showed the children how to hammer, shape and tie the willow to make the shapes. Every child joined in, creating much excitement seeing the dome grow and reach completion in just one day.
Remaining tasks include parents digging the beds so that planting can begin, and one brave teacher wants to tackle the wildlife and pond area and has been offered welcome advice from Duchy College.
The change in our field has been incredible. Children now walk across the playground and go through the gate down the daffodil-lined path into the willow structure. As they leave the entrance structure with the planting beds on either side, the performance circle is ahead of them, framed by the beautiful view down the valley. They can sit under the big sycamore and read, work on the beds or inspect rough scrub that will become the wildlife area.
Of course, not all CGT education projects are on this scale. We also have plans in for small courtyard gardens and container ‘fruit and veg’ gardens, as well as the collaboration with the RHS at Leedstown Primary, and with St Newlyn East Primary and the National Trust at Trerice.
What all our schools have in common is a willingness to experiment with plants, colours, and flavours. The children use their gardens all year round not only for gardening but also for work in such areas as art, English, performance, natural history and other sciences. Most importantly, the children are directly involved and have a real say in ‘their’ gardens.
Jan Bright – Education Officer
My thanks to all the children and teachers who worked together to produce some impressive garden plans for our 2004/5 programme, to the continued support of the RHS and the Tanner Trust, and to our very enthusiastic team of volunteers.