Elmswell school can carry on cultivating
Pupils at Elmswell Primary School in Suffolk are on course to grow a bumper crop of vegetables in their award-winning kitchen garden next year after County Mulch answered a plea for free compost.
During November, County Mulch delivered numerous large bags of complimentary compost to the school. The mulch will give a natural boost to the school's kitchen garden beds, which form a vital part of the eco curriculum, helping to teach pupils about environmental issues such as sustainability, growing vegetables from seed, the importance of healthy food and different ways of recycling.
The donation came after pupils returned from the summer holidays and found the soil in their vegetable planters had depleted. Having bought County Mulch compost to get the beds started a year earlier, some of the children decided to put their persuasive writing skills to the test in a bid to convince the local composting firm to provide some more mulch for free – a strategy that paid off.
Lindsey Bilston, Eco Coordinator at Elmswell Primary School said; “The first batch of compost we bought from County Mulch got our beds off to a flying start, was easy for the children to handle and drained well, meaning the vegetables we grew were a real success. In early autumn, when the children saw the kitchen garden was in need of some attention, they sprang into action, putting pen to paper and asking Greenview Environmental (County Mulch’s parent company) for a donation.
“We are delighted County Mulch was able to help. The compost will help support a core part of our curriculum. Being able to put what’s been learnt in the classroom into practice has many benefits. Some children have started growing vegetables at home and the project also helped us achieve Eco School Green Flag Status earlier this year. Having the beds brimming with nutrient-rich soil and ready to be planted out with new crops in the spring means this valuable project can carry on. Thank you County Mulch!”
Commenting, Ben Dyson, Head of Product Development at Greenview said: “We received a lovely letter from pupils and staff telling us how they had used last year’s compost and asking for some more. Naturally we felt compelled to help out. We are always keen to support local causes and this project was an obvious choice. Educating children about the environment and training them to recycle everything possible, including composting food and garden waste, will hopefully help the pupils carry this good practice on into adult life. We can't wait to see what the children produce with our compost next summer.”
Elmswell Primary School was given the Eco School highest award in September. The school received a green flag from Eco Schools acknowledging work undertaken by pupils and staff in recycling, growing their own vegetables, walking to school, developing the grounds as an outdoor learning environment and other sustainable activities.
