Plans to help get gardens growing (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Plans to help get gardens growing

8:44am Tuesday 20th September 2011 in Gardening By Hannah Stephenson

Ilkley-born TV gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh is calling on all schools to ‘get their grown-ups growing’ as part of a nationwide event organised by the Royal Horticultural Society, to be held across October.

Get Your Grown-ups Growing forms part of the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening, supported by Waitrose – a national initiative that encourages schools to create gardens, teach the skills of growing, and in turn enable their pupils to learn outside the classroom.

Each October, schools are invited to hold a Grown-ups Growing event so they can involve their local community to help develop the school garden. Grandparents, parents, carers and friends are invited to help.

Alan, leading supporter of the RHS campaign, explains: “The fact that schools have really cottoned on to the benefits of gardening with their pupils is fantastic news, especially for children who are looking for different ways to learn.

“If we can encourage parents and the wider community to get involved with their school garden, then we might end up with a green revolution both at home and at school.”

Activities suggested for event organisers include tool swaps, taste tests of produce grown in schools or locally-grown fruit and veg, a range of gardening classes and even a mini garden show.

Schools with gardens can encourage adults within the community to help develop new areas such as a wildlife garden or help construct raised beds. A Get Your Grown-ups Growing event can also see adults passing on their gardening experience to children by helping them sow seeds, plant trees and assist in weeding.

For schools without gardens, it’s the ideal opportunity to involve adults in the community to establish a garden.

Entering its third year, Get Your Grown-ups Growing has developed from a small pilot project based in Yorkshire to a national success involving 1,000 schools.

Of the schools that held an event last year, 74 per cent said it had increased their children’s interest in gardening, while more than half reported an increase in adult support and interest in gardening.

Jacky Chave, RHS strategic schools manager, says: “Having a school garden is a fantastic asset for teachers and pupils as it provides a multitude of learning opportunities, but we know it can take a lot of hard work to maintain.

“By involving parents and other local adults, through an event like Get Your Grown-ups Growing, we hope that school gardens will be looked after all year round and enthusiasm for gardening and growing will spread beyond the school gates and into children’s homes.”

To register, schools must sign up to the RHS Campaign for School Gardening via rhs.org.uk/gygg.

Schools will receive a support pack including seeds, event ideas, information templates, stickers and more.

Each school can choose any date in October to hold its event and organise activities to suit its requirements.