The Blue Coat School: Turning Grey to Green
The Blue Coat School was thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to apply for up to £10,000 grant to turn a grey area to green at school.
Finding an area that met the grant criteria took a little time. Preparing the area needed drainage works and the removal of a food kiosk used by the school’s catering company. Before the works started a group of staff took part in a gardening day to tidy up the surrounding area during the Easter Holidays. Even the school therapy dog, Vinnie, came to help!
Whilst the preparation works were being organised, the Blue Coat School asked their parent community for support with the project seeking gardening and landscaping expertise. A parent happily came forward to support and this, combined with input from Mrs Fitzgerald (Geography Teacher) and the students, a fantastic design for the space was created. The students wanted a green space they could enjoy and encourage wildlife, but be accessible to all students. The students are keen to select bulbs to plant at different times of year to enhance the area further.
Catherine Daly, Landscape Architect and parent of a student at The Blue Coat School said, “when I saw that the school were looking for some help with greening up an area of the school grounds I got in touch as this is something that links to my job as a landscape architect and it is also a passion of mine. The task was to help the school come up with ideas to green a well used area next to one of the playgrounds in order to attract wildlife but also remain useable for groups of pupils, all with a challenging budget. Through discussion we came up with some generous timber planters that double up as informal seating, to be filled with a range of pollinator friendly planting. These are sat within an area of species rich turf to increase the inherent biodiversity of the space. The area is given protection from footfall and wayward balls with some attractive fencing, and I hope it’s really enjoyed by the pupils and staff once completed.”
The new space will provide a beautiful green area for students to spend break and lunch times. I love the planters, and I'm looking forward to watching the plants we selected grow. The grant has allowed us to really transform the area, which otherwise we would not have been able to justify, so it has been a fantastic project to be involved in.