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RUNCORN PUPILS DIG IN FOR SCHOOL GROUNDS SUCCESSPUPILS from The Park Primary School are celebrating the completion of a dramatic make-over of their school grounds - with the children's own hard work helping to make their dream school environment a reality.The £3000 work at The Park Primary, on Plantation Close, Castlefields, as well as similar improvements at St Edward's Catholic Primary School, forms part of the ongoing School Grounds Development Programme co-ordinated by environmental organisation The Mersey Forest. The Programme is supported through the Cheshire Wildlife Trust by the Runcorn-based chemical manufacturer INEOS Chlor, using the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme, and by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as part of The Mersey Forest. "At The Park Primary School, improvements have included the creation of a school orchard, a quiet seating area with wildflowers, and the enhancement of a boardwalk that stretches out into wetland areas of the grounds," explains Jo Sayers, The Mersey Forest's Community Development Officer. "There has also been considerable planting - something that the pupils have been heavily involved in over a number of workdays. The children have planted fruit bushes as well as upgrading their fruit and vegetable growing area, and I'd like to congratulate them on their hard work." At St Edward's, work also worth £3000 has seen the development of a sensory garden with a pergola for shade as well as climbing plants. It is hoped that the schools will tap into a wide range of benefits from the improvements, as the work has seen The Mersey Forest follow a well-tested 'holistic' approach to school grounds development. The approach considers the social and environmental rewards that can be gained through well planned, interactive and inclusive grounds improvements. Research has found that in addition to providing considerable benefit to the physical environments of the schools, the School Grounds Development Programme has delivered major improvements in pupil behaviour and play, a marked reduction in stress levels amongst teachers and fewer accidents. In tune with this holistic strategy, The Mersey Forest has been working alongside Halton Primary Care Trust and The Park Family Centre, based on site at The Park Primary School, to encourage healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, with the school orchard linking into the '5-a-day' campaign, whilst also creating shade for the children in the summer months. Janet Ward, Community Relations Manager at funders INEOS Chlor, said: "Whilst the school had fairly well landscaped grounds, there was much room for improvement. The grant has enabled the creation of both new habitats and has opened up access to areas previously unsafe for the children to use." Ann
Bennett, Head Teacher at The Park Primary, said: "The children
in the school, the Family Centre and the breakfast club are all
benefiting from the many fruit trees and bushes planted as part
of this scheme. It's a great way to encourage healthy eating and
to create habitats for wildlife too." ENDS Editor
Notes
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