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East Renfrewshire Council Environmental Regeneration Grant helps to enhance woodland at Glenwood Nursery
School
| "Magic Mushrooms" appear in the miniature woodland |
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| Latest stage of a long term project completed at Glenwood Nursery School |
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In March 1995 our predecessor, the Carts River Valleys
Project, got together with Glenwood Nursery School to celebrate European Nature Conservation Year by planting a "Miniature
Arboretum" of native Scottish trees in a boggy corner of the school grounds.
Twelve years later the wee saplings
had grown vigorously into a dense and tangled jungle, which the Head Teacher wanted the 3 and 4 year old pupils to be able
to use. Certainly, the fence erected to protect the baby trees from grass mowers could be taken away. In addition, however,
works were completed to improve access. All low level twigs were pruned back, clambering bramble and ivy were cut back
and a winding path of concrete stepping stones, designed to look like slices off tree trunks, was installed. As a finishing
touch for the Secret Forest, a seating area of mini mushroom seats was created.
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Newts
given a Helping Hand at South Primary School
| Newt Paradise in the making at South Primary |
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| Green Gym volunteers complete final planting works |
Final planting works were completed in the Wildlife Area
at South Primary School in Paisley during May 2008. Over the previous six months Carts Greenspace had been
working with BTCV Scotland’s Renfrewshire Green Gym initiative and the staff at the school to transform an overgrown
wilderness with a choked pond into a paradise for a threatened local population of Palmate Newts. Enthusiastic
volunteers from the Green Gym have repaired and painted the protective fence, cut back or uprooted unsuitable shrubs that
were casting too much shade, realigned and thinned out vegetation in the previously choked pond, installed a donated old bath
to create a new pond, constructed a raised bed for sun loving plants and creepy-crawlies which the amphibians need to eat
and replanted the area with wildlife friendly species. Access paths have also been improved so that the
school can reach the area more easily. In addition, four benches have been added to create an outdoor classroom.
These benches have been carved to illustrate some of the wildlife living in the pond. Recycling
has been a strong theme for the project. As well as the old bath’s pond conversion, reclaimed paving
setts were used to build the raised bed and the timber for the benches was sourced from trees taken down after storm damage,
etc.
St. Margaret's Primary School, Johnstone, introduces a sensory garden to its
tarmac playground
| Planting the sensory garden at St. Margaret's |
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| Each sense is represented by the plants selected to grow in one of the beds. |
St. Margaret’s Primary School in Johnstone has grounds which are almost 100% tarmac.
An audit by the pupils identified a demand for more wildlife, better opportunities for outdoor learning and more scope for
imaginative play. Rather than dig up the tarmac, the main response has been the installation of a garden with five raised
beds, each designed to stimulate one particular sense. Each sense is represented by the plants
selected to grow in one of the beds - bringing scent, sound, colour, touch and taste to a tarmac playground. The project received a £10,000 grant from the Awards for All programme of the National Lottery.
| New garden at mary Russell School, Paisley |
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| The garden features raised beds and a good solid path to make the area accessible. |
Mary Russell School, Paisley, creates an easy
access garden
By contrast to some of the very
urban schools in the Carts Greenspace area, Mary Russell School has quite grassy grounds but Paisley’s weather means
that access opportunities are limited to rare dry spells. Therefore a solid surfaced area has been created in the grass, reached
by a 40m path and partially enclosed by four raised beds, which provide pupils with special educational needs the opportunity
to relax, complete curricular work and be inspired by nature. The
project received a £10,000 grant from the Awards for All programme of the National Lottery.
| Kirkhill Primary School, Newton Mearns. |
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| Planting the raised beds in June 2009 |
Eco Gardening arrives at Kirkhill Primary School
Kirkhill Primary School in Newton
Mearns shares with many schools the problems associated with muddy grass but now has an extensive and well developed Eco Garden.
This attracts more wildlife, allows biodiversity education in an outdoor classroom, encourages recycling and
has a mini orchard. Like several recent Kingfisher Schools Initiative projects,
Kirkhill Primary School received a £10,000 grant from the Awards for All programme of the National Lottery.
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