Students from St Vincent College’s School of Personalised Learning helped transform a Gosport nursery’s garden by utilising their design skills – and a keen eye for reusing unwanted items.
The SPL was contacted by Alverbridge Nursery to ask for some help in tidying up a patch of land at its rear. Teacher Amanda Cross set her work skills Level 1 students a challenge to come up with a design for the patch and help transform it.
They came up with a series of designs, which were presented to the group before a vote was taken to choose the one most suited to the space.
Next they approached garden centres and parents for plant donations and asked motorbike service and repair business Fat Boy Motorcycles, which is based on the St Vincent Site, for a donation of six tyres to act as planters. The garage not only agreed to donate but also delivered them to the college in time for them to be painted in bright colours.
The eagle-eyed students spotted some unused paving slabs on the college site and received permission to use them before enlisting the help of Gosport Men’s Shed to deliver them to the nursery site in South Street.
Pictured: Students from St Vincent College’s School of Personalised Learning finished garden masterpiece on waste land at Alverbridge Nursery in Gosport.
The young designers were unable to make a start on the garden because of heavy rain but used the time to build wooden planters and bird boxes in readiness for the better weather.
When the rain finally relented they spent the days on site laying the slabs, with the help of the Men’s Shed, and installing the planters, plants and bird boxes. Their hard work left the nursery with a bright and cheerful garden.
Mrs Cross said: “The nursery were delighted with the end result. It was a great team effort by the students who enjoyed the challenge. They were very grateful to everyone who supported the project.”