Published: Wednesday, 23rd May, 2007 16:49
The garden gang
By Irina Nelson
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Parents and pupils roll up their sleeves
IT was a case of all hands on deck at Neilston Primary School recently!
Pupils and parents rolled up their sleeves to start digging, composting and planting shrubs and flowers.
The team — just like TV’s Ground Force — got stuck and created the school’s new wildlife and sensory garden. And James McMahon, of the school grounds for improvement group, revealed it will soon be open to the public.
James said: “We had an open day and invited all our volunteers along to get cracking with the work.
“They usually come along for a few hours at a time at weekends.
“But on Saturday we were open for business from 11 am until 5pm as we had a lot of work to get on with!
“And it was worth every minute — if we are to make our opening ceremony in June.”
The wildlife and sensory garden is part of the overall community garden at Neilston primary.
It has been designed and created by members of the SCIG group, which was established four years ago.
Parents decided they wanted to improve the grounds around Madras Nursery to attract wildlife and nurture learning.
And the hard-working group then decided to improve the schemes at Neilston, Uplawmoor and St Thomas’s primaries.
The project has also included council staff, territorial army volunteers, parents, school children and members of the local community, including young people from local scouts, guides, brownies, cubs and boys and girls brigades.
A five-year plan has now been drawn up and so far 1,200 trees and bushes have been planted around Neilston primary.
Fifty local companies each bought a tree and East Renfrewshire Council provided over 1,000 plants and shrubs.
In the grounds of the community garden there is also a large living willow sculpted in the shape of an octopus, a human sun clock, a climbing wall and a butterfly garden.
The Barrhead Horticultural Society has been giving advice and assistance in planning a community orchard.
The latest part of the development is the woodlands and sensory garden, which will serve as an outdoor classroom.
The plants in this garden will appeal to all of the senses and one plant, Cosmos, even smells of chocolate.
There will also brightly coloured flowers such as primulas and pansies as well as scented herbs.
At the back of the woodland garden there will be a hedgehog house, an Alpine garden and a wildflower meadow.
James added: “We have had amazing support from local businesses and parents throughout the project.
“We have raised funds from car boot sales and have received financial support from the East Renfrewshire Council’s environmental small grants fund and from Scottish National Heritage. We also had great support from the council’s parks department in looking after the orchards, woodland area and meadow.”
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