More Mud, Sweat and Cheers
28 July 2009
Fermanagh celebrates 21 years of practical conservation work by starting a new nature garden project at Moat Primary School in Lisnaskea.
The mud came when volunteers moved 5 tons of soils in the rain to build raised beds. The sweat flowed pushing 15 tons of gravel up the hill in wheelbarrows on one of the hottest days of the year. The cheers came at the end of the week when the first phase of the garden project was finished and opened by former pupil of the school, Northern Ireland Minister Arlene Foster MLA.
The celebrations were completed with the school singing Conservation Volunteers “Happy Birthday” and lots of pavlova and cream.
During her visit, the Minister witnessed the children helping to add compost and bark chip to the garden. She watched as the younger children topped up the new path with gravel, using their seaside buckets and little wheelbarrows.
The school has been given a £10,000 grant from ‘Awards for All’ to develop the school grounds.
With the help of this money, Conservation Volunteers has begun some of the initial work. Phase 1 of the project has seen a flurry of activity by hard working volunteers from the Fermanagh Conservation Action Team.
A series of raised beds have been built, one for each class. Also, composting bays were erected, access paths laid, bird table, bench and mini-beast hotel installed.
The plan for the school garden includes each class growing their own vegetables, fruit trees and flowers, lots of wildlife-attracting shrubs, trees, wildflowers, spring bulbs, a herb garden, sundial, weather station, amphitheatre seating and willow domes.
Planting of trees, shrubs and plants will take place when the school returns from their summer holidays.
“This is going to be a whole new outdoor classroom”, Mrs Humphreys, Principal, remarked. “Parents, businesses and members of the local community are supporting the school with guidance, donations of materials and looking after the garden. We look forward to having parents and grandparents passing on their knowledge to the children in, for example, growing fruit and vegetables. This is going to be a very exciting adventure and no doubt will lead to further additions and projects.”
| Relevant links |
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| Conservation Action Teams |
| Biodiversity advice |