Garden centre and special school in Thornbury team up to help students create their own garden

New Siblands School were visited by Simon Rose, manager of Wyvale Garden Centre on Tuesday, to talk about the kinds of plants they would want to have on the plot in the school.

The project, which will help the students to work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, will offer a garden space that the whole school can enjoy.

Sapphire class teacher Craig Tucker, who first had the idea for the garden, said that initially the space was going to be a memorial garden, given the life-limiting conditions that some students have, but with the space being used more and more, other uses had to be put forward.

“It’s good for parents and students to reflect on their friendships,” he said, “but with the way school is growing and finances are being restricted, we have to be more creative with our spaces so this is a reflective garden and a space where we hang out, relax and hold lessons.

“As we are using it more and more, we have been thinking about how it can be a bit more colourful and vibrant.

“It’s great for a company like Wyvale having an ongoing commitment with us and we really appreciate their support.

“It means our students can go up regularly and start to learn about budgeting, only spending what they have and garden through the seasons.”

A total of £50 a month is being given to the pupils for plants and equipment, with teachers hoping the activity could develop into a life-long skill for the students.

Simon said: "As a company we are trying to give back to the local schools and being able to help create a garden was a really nice idea they put to us.

"While we are giving them the money each month, there will be other opportunities, with damaged stock, split bags of compost and anything else that is excess, that they can have without coming out of those funds.

"Hopefully they will be visiting us in the near future to have a look at the kind of plants they want to have so we can get started."