Everything in the garden is rosy

Jan 13 2009 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

YOUNGSTERS at a Paisley nursery are no longer green with envy at other schools’ tidy gardens after theirs was given a £25,000 makeover.

The wildlife garden at Glenfield Community Nursery, Glenburn, was a dried-up eyesore because of littering, vandalism and a general lack of maintenance.

And it was so neglected the youngsters and staff couldn’t go near it for health and safety reasons.

Staff and parents teamed up with members of the Green Gym and a crew from Paisley’s Carts Greenspace, which helps regenerate open spaces in need of a makeover to improve the environment.

With a £25,000 Renfrewshire Council grant they worked together to transform the tired-looking garden – and the results were blooming great and it is now a safe environment for wildlife, outdoor education and play

The council cash allowed the school to bring existing play equipment back into use, create a tarmac surface area for children to ride bikes and create an additional soft play area with a raised planting bed.

An anti-climb fence has also been built round the perimeter of the garden to help prevent vandalism.

Laura McKinnon, project assistant at Carts Greenspace, said: “This wildlife garden has been a very successful collaborative project. It has involved parents, nursery staff, volunteers, local landscape contractors and council officers.

“It is an excellent example of how everyone can work together to improve their green spaces for younger and future generations to enjoy.”

Help

After the hard landscaping was completed Carts Greenspace enlisted the help of Renfrewshire Green Gym to tackle the problem of the overgrown vegetation.

Over the past six months enthusiastic parents and volunteers from the Green Gym have spent hours litter picking, weeding and preparing the ground for planting and laying turf.

They have created a grass area for children to play in during the summer, rejuvenated several half barrel planters, planted trees and shrubs and used reclaimed granite stone to create a structured and easily maintained wildlife garden.

The nursery children can now access the garden and will be getting their own hands dirty when they plant sensory plants and spring flowering bulbs.

Alison Lauder, the nursery’s depute head, said: “We are delighted by the contributions from the education department, Green Gym, Carts Greenspace and parents who have worked together to develop this wonderful garden and play area for our children.

“We look forward to many years of fun experiences and learning opportunities which the garden provides. We would like to thank everyone involved in our garden project for their hard work and continued efforts, which will allow us to progress towards achieving our Eco Schools Green Flag Award.”

The Green Gym gang said this was one of their favourite projects because their effort made such a big difference.

Coordinator Ann Nix said: “It has been one of our favourite projects. The garden was in a terrible state and has been totally transformed, which is totally satisfying. It was a no-go area because there was broken glass and all kinds of litter. It had been trashed.”