The 15,000th school to sign up to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening is Berryhill Primary School in North Lanarkshire, meaning that the charity is now helping almost half of all UK schools to garden.
The 15,000th school to sign up to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening is Berryhill Primary School in North Lanarkshire, meaning that the charity is now helping almost half of all UK schools to garden.
The campaign continues to find new ways to support schools to use gardening as a teaching tool. New initiatives such as the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year, to be launched in April, will help it reach its target of bringing on board more than half of UK schools by September, the fifth anniversary of the campaign’s launch.
Backing the campaign is popular gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who believes that every child should get the chance to enjoy the benefits of gardening. He said: ‘We know the impact gardening at school has on children’s development and wellbeing… the RHS won’t rest until all the schools in the UK are gardening!’
Recent studies by the RHS and the National Foundation of Educational Research showed that gardening boosts a child’s development, teaches life skills and makes them healthier and happier.
Berryhill Primary School will be presented with a plaque and a tree to celebrate the 15,000 milestone. The school already has a Peace Garden and is building an Eco Green House from plastic bottles, but Head Teacher Mrs Carrie Nicol is looking forward to creating a vegetable garden and furthering other projects with the help of the RHS.
The RHS Campaign for School Gardening, also backed by Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins, is free to join. Schools that register can access tailor-made lesson plans, training courses and gardening advice, while a team of regional advisors will help get projects underway. Each school receives a free starter pack which includes seeds.
