Welcombe Hills School MoveForward Project - Week 6/7/8/9
Week 6, 7, 8 and 9 were very productive sessions with the Welcome Hill school group in the Kitchen Garden to help us make more progress. It was a great opportunity for each individual to learn lots of new skills and try their hand at horticultural tasks, garden maintenance, landscaping, painting and decorating and construction. All skills that could stand them in good stead when looking to get into employment once they’ve left school.
Living walls
A few of the individuals interested in woodwork and construction helped us to create and install living wall planters to the fence at the entrance of the Kitchen Garden ready to plant up and beautify that area. The installation required the group to learn how to use a drill and other tools to fix wooden battens to the fence before attaching the living wall planters, so they were sturdy and safe.
Whilst the living walls were being installed, others enjoyed the horticultural task of potting up the plants to go into the living wall and decorating larger pots with colourful plants to brighten up the area too.
They then added all of the plants to the living wall which looked fantastic. This area will be used as a space of the hospital for staff and visitors to enjoy for its visual beauty and colour, as well as boosting the biodiversity of the area and having environmental benefits as the species rich plants help absorb nitrogen dioxide from the atmosphere.
Painting the fence
Another of the main tasks for the sessions was painting the outside fence. This gave the group the opportunity to learn the necessary skills required to carry out the task including preparing the area, sanding the fence, gathering the correct equipment, mixing and pouring the paint, painting the fence and cleaning the brushes and trays.
Refurbishing benches
We restored many memorial benches which had been damaged or weathered over the years, making them look brand new and getting them ready to put in the gardens for NHS staff to sit and enjoy. The bench makeover involved the group firstly cleaning them by scrubbing off any dirt or moss, replacing any rotten slats, sanding down the wood surface and painting them.
Garden maintenance
A number of the group were very keen on garden maintenance and learning the skills to perform tasks like mowing, strimming and pruning. They did a great job keeping the garden looking tidy.
Litter picking
After learning about the negative environmental effects of littering and not recycling waste, some members of the group requested to go on a litter pick of the surrounding area. It’s a shame that so much litter is being mindlessly thrown on grass verges and paths by people, but the group did an amazing job to clean up the area and recycle what they collected.
Media
A few of the pupils got involved in the media side by taking photos to contribute to the blog and by interviewing individuals to collate quotes about the sessions, here they are….
A word from ThinkForward:
“I enjoy watching the students learn new skills and do valuable volunteering for the community”
- Natasha
A word from Forest of Hearts:
“It’s been great to see them all try new things each week, all whilst giving back to the local community. It’s also been fantastic to see their confidence grow over the weeks too”
- Tom