Pupils handed community garden opportunity

Harborough District Council has agreed that its community garden in Little Bowden Recreational Ground should be provided for use by Little Bowden Primary School.

It is hoped pupils and teachers can use the garden for educational purposes with children becoming more green-fingered in the process.

 

Previously the garden, owned by the council, had been used for projects by Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL) but they were unable to continue to use it.

When Little Bowden Primary School expressed an interest in taking over responsibility for the garden the council put things in motion to allow the pupils to take advantage of the site.

The council’s environmental services contractor, FCC Environment, has volunteered to bring the garden back up to standard ready for the children to use.  

Councillor Phil King, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for assets, said:  “We’re delighted to make this land available to the school. This is a fantastic space for children to get stuck into gardening, as well as enjoy its wildlife, and understand all that this entails. This demonstrates one of our priorities to work with communities to improve our assets. I really hope the children enjoy, and benefit from, this garden.”

Dan Gillert, FCC Environment’s area manager, said: “We are extremely pleased to be supporting Little Bowden Primary School in the development of their community garden project.  We look forward to seeing the space flourish as local children put their horticultural skills and environmental understanding into practise.”

Hayley Brown, deputy head of Little Bowden Primary School, said: “Our school is surrounded by a fantastic park and recreational area but the actual space available for the children to use and play in has always been a challenge. This is a brilliant opportunity for us and we are very excited about developing this more fully in our curriculum and ensuring that our children can appreciate how our food gets from plot to pot."

Pictured: Cllr Phil King of Harborough District Council, Hayley Brown deputy head of Little Bowden Primary School and Dan Gillert of FCC, in the community garden