St James' CE School
In 2016 St James' CE School applied for a Prescription for Wellbeing Grant from the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group that enabled them to further develop an existing allotment within the school grounds, that was established in 2010 where they installed raised beds at the rear of the site and created a Reflective Garden on the upper section of the plot to provide an outdoor space for study and reflection.
The aim of the project is to promote healthy exercise and help combat childhood obesity. It will also provide an opportunity for volunteers to participate, thereby addressing current concerns in relation to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and enable participants suffering mental ill health and dementia to improve their self-esteem and confidence through exercise and interaction with other members of the community.
They enlisted the services of a professional contractor to undertake the heavy construction work, with other tasks such as constructing the raised beds and planting would be carried out by volunteers.
We were approached by the Chair of Governors Margaret Murray in 2016 as to whether VIC would like to help with some of work that was not being done by the professional contractor. As the school is close to the VIC centre, it was felt this would make an ideal community project where our members could help with.
We were given the shed last year and the original thought was to refurbish it and put it on the allotment. However we St Jame's School if they would like this for their garden area for their pupils to grow things and to use as a potting shed. Jimmy Kudritzski who himself was a pupil at the school started refurbishing it last year. There is other work we are planning over the next few months.
The aim of the project is to promote healthy exercise and help combat childhood obesity. It will also provide an opportunity for volunteers to participate, thereby addressing current concerns in relation to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and enable participants suffering mental ill health and dementia to improve their self-esteem and confidence through exercise and interaction with other members of the community.
They enlisted the services of a professional contractor to undertake the heavy construction work, with other tasks such as constructing the raised beds and planting would be carried out by volunteers.
We were approached by the Chair of Governors Margaret Murray in 2016 as to whether VIC would like to help with some of work that was not being done by the professional contractor. As the school is close to the VIC centre, it was felt this would make an ideal community project where our members could help with.
We were given the shed last year and the original thought was to refurbish it and put it on the allotment. However we St Jame's School if they would like this for their garden area for their pupils to grow things and to use as a potting shed. Jimmy Kudritzski who himself was a pupil at the school started refurbishing it last year. There is other work we are planning over the next few months.
Vandalism of the project
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Over the first few months of 2017 the shed that we have been repairing the shed after it has been vandalised by local teenagers who are using the school grounds to congregate at night. The school has had to install security fencing around the perimeter to deter them entering the grounds, unfortunately in March the damage they caused has meant that we have had to remove the shed as we couldn't make further repairs and it was dangerous for the pupils to use. Prior to this damage the shed was in constant use by the children during break times.
The children were left devastated when they came back to school and saw the damage. We put a request out for a replacement shed and a former pupil of the school Musfequr Choudhury, who jointly owns of Hall and Hanley compensation specialists in Manchester contacted VIC’s operations manager Bob Elliott after reading of the vandalism and offered the school children a new shed. Musfequr used to go to the school in the 1980s and his mum Sufia retired three years ago as a teaching assistant at the school, his daughter who is four attends the nursery at St James. We have secured the perimeter which doesn't have high security fencing. After a disappointing start VIC is continuing with the work to get the raised beds ready for planting flowers that the children have asked for; Roses, Forget Me Nots, Poppies, Mint, Strawberry plants, Marigolds, Sunflowers, Tulips, Daffodils and Herbs. We have managed to recycle the vandalised shed and have used much of it at the VIC Centre in Haslingden to make a covered bin area and the roof has been used for another project in Weir where we have built a notice board. |