Garden Diary December 2010 Ourschool garden has become overgrown and the uneven ground makes it unsuitable for many of the children to use.

With the help of lottery funding as well as fund raising in school we hope to create a new and fully accessable outdoor learning facility.

Craft Sales Garden club members have use meetings during the winter months to produce a range of crafts which are sold in the school hall. School pupils, parents and staff were invited on various occasions. £55 was raised for towards the proposed new garden.

7.3.11 Learning about wildlife Garden club members meet the Greenspace Officer at Carlisle Park to learn more about wildlife gardening and spring planting. The reason for this is to be able to create a wildlife area in the school grounds using money we hope to be given from Awards for All (Lottery funding)

We also learned about planting bulbs

4.5.11 Developing links within our community. Pupils are invited to run a stall at the Northumberland County Blind Association headquarters in Morpeth. Items for sale have been made or grown in school and the pupils meet staff and clients with low vision (plus guide dogs) in the centre. As a thank you for their efforts the pupils were given 2 trays of seedlings to take back to school by the Bloomers garden group

May 2011 We discover that we have been succesful in our bid for lottery funding. Awards for All has agreed to our proposal for almost £10,000 to create a new garden in school. 15.6.11 Harvesting potatoes Garden club members planted two varieties of potatoes in tubs earlier in the year. There was great excitement as the tubs were emptied and the harvest gathered. The crop was duly washed and weighed with ‘Rocket’ being declared the winner.

11.5.11 Pupils planting seedlings donated by the Northumberland County Blind Association. The tubs brighten up the entrance to school.

Summer Fair 2011 The annual summer fair provided a great opportunity for selling some of our produce to staff and visitors. The pupils did an excellent job of setting up and running the stall.

July 2011 Change over Day provided another great opportunity to sell produce to visitors and staff.

September 2011 Year 8 pupils visit Northumberland County Blind Association to learn more about those with low vision and how we can help them.

September 2011 Work begins on the new garden with the site being cleared and the pergola errected.

This is followed by the raised beds and paving

The area is enclosed by fencing and gravel laid over the surface to reduce maintenance.

Visit by Year 6 pupils to Northumberland County Blind association October 2011 Pupils visited the centre to learn more about creating a sensory garden.

February 2012 The pupils decided through Student voice to hold a non uniform day to raise funds for the Northumberland County Blind Association to thank them for the visits we have made to the centre. Over £250 was raised. Vikki Harris from the centre came along with two of the service users who will benefit from the money raised which will fund a tutor to help teach computer use. Tom Field from the gardening group who has donated a selection of herbs for the school garden also came along.

27th March 2012

The Grand Opening! The whole school worked hard to prepare for the official opening of our garden by the Duchess of Northumberland. We had a huge litter pick and tidy up, recycled items were transformed into beautiful birds hung from the trees, scones flavoured with herbs from the garden were made and science classes creating bath bombs using rose petals and lavender we had grown. The sun shone and we enjoyed a fantastic day. The duchess chatted to members of garden club about what they were growing and future plans before posing for photographs which later appeared not only in the school newsletter but also the Newcastle Journal, Morpeth Herald and News Post Leader.

The Duchess meeting our Executive Head

Bath bombs being made by year 8 using rose petals and lavender from the garden

Scones made with herbs from the garden

A scale model of the garden made during maths was on display.

The end of a fantastic day May 2012 The work continues with the sowing herbs to be used by the school kitchen for food available at lunchtimes. Corriander in this case for carrot and coriander soup.

We now have two busy garden clubs running on Tuesdays and Thursdays Tom Field Awaiting pic

May 2012 The garden club enjoyed a visit from local business woman Gillian Murray who creates soaps and lip balms using natural ingredients including rose petals.