The school, located on Back Lane in Clayton-le-Woods, applied to our community grant initiative, linked to the Willows Green development and received £500 to purchase materials to build a pond, including plants and fencing.
Early years and key stage one leader Carla Govier said the aim of the project is to create a nature area that can be used by the children in the school as well as the local community and other childcare establishments to provide links to the natural world in a safe and maintained environment.
She said: “Receiving the extra funding from Redrow means we can offer another element of learning to our children. The nature area will play a pivotal role in our outdoor learning programme, allowing children to explore the natural world, grow produce for the school and local community, gain a respect for our planet and provide a safe, calm space to support children’s mental health.
“Before we received funding for the pond area, we had already revitalised an outdoor seating area and created a small herb garden. We also have plant and vegetable beds, giving each class an opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables. Every child from our year three class was able to plant a tree (donated by The Woodland Trust) to build a hedge alongside the outdoor learning area.”
One of our eight placemaking principles is ‘nature for people’ and this involves providing a legacy of green spaces and natural habitats for people and wildlife to enjoy, both on its developments and in surrounding communities.
Gavin Powell, sales manager for Lancashire said: “Part of our ethos is to bring residents closer to nature and this feeds down to the community projects we like to help too. The work Clayton-le-Woods Primary School is doing to teach its pupils all about nature is fantastic and something we definitely wanted to support.”
The school is also hoping to create a community hub, using the garden to help promote healthy lifestyles and outdoor activity and learning.
Carla adds: “In the current climate, looking after the mental health of our school family and community is vital and this will be crucial in the design and use of our outdoor area.”
Four groups and good causes from the Clayton-le-Woods area shared £2,000 from our community grant project.
Find more details about the homes at Willows Green, or call 01772 340601.
