A Wrexham school is looking for volunteers from local companies for a day of activities to help in the development of their nurture garden plans.
Ysgol y Grango's nurture base provides effective support and learning for the most vulnerable pupils at the school.
Kim Sharpe, additional learning needs co-ordinator and nurture class teacher at the Rhos school said: “We hope the new area can become a multi-sensory area that helps our pupils grow, improve concentration and the motivation to learn.
“Outdoor learning can help children with learning and emotional needs to gain more independence and self-confidence, reduce anxiety, build resilience, and improve their communication skills through exploration, problem-solving, and being encouraged to learn about themselves and the world around them.”
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The volunteer day concept is already a collaborative effort between the dedicated nurture centre staff and local company Litegreen, who visit the school as part of their community benefit initiatives and recently became a ‘valued partner’ at the school through Careers Wales.
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Ysgol Y Grango and Litegreen have a connection that goes back over 20 years, as Litegreens own director is a former pupil at the school.
Together they are planning the ‘Give and Gain Day’ style volunteer day at the school to bring together other local companies and volunteers that can offer time, skills, or resources to give the project a head start, in time for the new academic year, starting in September 2022.
Gareth Rowland, resource provision and nurture teacher at Ysgol Y Grango said: “The project began in 2020 with clearing a small area and winning a competition from Keep Wales Tidy, for a small fruit and vegetable bed.
“Since then, the pupils have cleared areas on both sides of the bed, removing lots of vegetation, whilst learning the different plant types, and using certain equipment in a safe manner. The pupils have also planted more fruit trees and are growing vegetables.”
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Two staff members at Ysgol Grango have recently completed the Level 3 Forest school leader course, and from September 2022 will be delivering this to Key Stage 4 Nurture pupils as Agored Outdoor Learning Qualifications that link in with the national curriculum.
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Plans at the school are very much pupil led, which is what Kim Sharpe says, “makes this project extra special”.
The school is looking for donations or skills to help with:
• Paining fence panels
• Donate and install four water butts in the area, to provide water
• Donate or build flat patio area for outdoor learning classroom
• Provide cover for above the patio area, for protection from the elements
• Create a small pond area.
• Create a maths area
• Build and plant a sensory garden
• Create a fire circle area
• Plant more trees to further develop an area for forest school
• Relocate and create new fruit and vegetable bed
• Bench making
David Walker, Grango alumni and director of Litegreen said: “The volunteer day will be fun and it is a great way to network with other local people and companies with a shared mindset. As a company we take community action seriously and this project ties in perfectly with our core values of Collaboration, Accessibility and the Environment, we’d love to see other businesses with a strong green community mindset.”
He added: “Thanks to Careers Wales for re-connecting the two of us by becoming valued partners, I’d encourage other businesses to reach out to them too and will happily chat to anyone interested about joining on the volunteer day.
“Wrexham has a great attitude towards helping the community. We are hoping many hands will make light work and we are hoping that by taking part, local companies and employees can develop stronger community relationships, build the skills of their workforce, and generate publicity for a great cause.”
The volunteer day is taking place 10am- 5pm on Monday, August 22.
To help or get involved, please contact Litegreen at:
• 0330 175 6505
• Grango@litegreenltd.co.uk
• @litegreenLTD
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