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Restoration of a School Garden - what we achieved
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Restoration of a School Garden - what we achieved
Location: Cambridgeshire
What was achieved by the successfully completed Restoration of a School Garden project, and the lasting effects it has had in the community.
This project transformed an acre of disused land at Bottisham Village College into a working garden that could be used not only an educational resource but also as a peaceful haven for students and the local community.
The team were able to knock down all the old derelict and dangerous pig sties and other buildings and replace them with new classrooms and community workshops, polytunnels and greenhouses. Access to the garden was improved, and the whole area made wheelchair friendly, not only the paths but also specially raised garden beds for wheelchair users to cultivate.
The popular rose garden was recreated as it used to be; a new herb garden provided ingredients for cookery lessons; and traditional fruit trees were grown from seeds. Keeping pigs and rabbits was not longer practical, but the project included breeding rare 100-year-old specimens of chicken and selling their eggs.
To complement the practical work, the project built up an archive illustrating how the college and the gardens had been used from 1937, using information from the college’s records and memories and photographs contributed by local people, many of whom had lived in Bottisham all their lives.
Many of the students who were originally in the group returned to work as volunteers for the organisation because they felt it belonged to them and they were responsible for it. New students at the school were encouraged to become involved in the regular routines and maintenance of the garden.
Within the community, the project was very successful in breaking down barriers about disability. Alongside those with physical disabilities, some of the students who worked on the project had been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or Attention Deficit Disorder, and others had been bullied.
The project provided disabled and disadvantaged students with new opportunities to learn in an alternative environment, helped them to overcome their individual difficulties, and gave them an encouraging sense of achievement both practically and socially.
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