BRITAIN IN BLOOM with the RHS Awards

We have done it again! Our project have been recognized with a Gold pennant.

Feedback:

" The centre has gradually given over more of its outdoor play area to vegetable and fruit production.
Led by enthusiastic staff, from an early age, the children learn about sowing seed, nurturing the plants and harvesting the crops. It is often the first time they have experienced this.
The centre is using resources of the RHS School Award Scheme and has reached Level 3 in a relatively short time.
There are some good links with local businesses, such as a donation of free soil. Other donations are the only source of funding"

Level 3 achieved

Finally we have achieved Level 3 in School Gardening from the RHS program. 

This will help us to develop our garden by planning and plating seasonal. Why? Because this time the prizes are series of boxes brimming full of young vegetable and fruit plants during school term times ready to help our patch.

It's so exited that apart of  keep working on our current plants we need to start thinking on getting our growing space ready for September.

Bristol in Bloom 2016 we won a Silver Gilt

We have won a Silver Gilt in The Briatol in Bloom Competion In its 2016 edition.

It was our first time and we can't be so proud of this achievement. This award reflects how much our children has learned by working in this project but also our capacity of getting the community involve in the project. 

We would like to thank everyone involve, from children to donors.

Now we need to keep up the hard work to expand the learning possibilities for the children and to make the project more accessible to the community. 

Planting out again for the third time.

The slugs has been eating all our crops and we are trying to keep our new crop safe.We use ground coffee and sand to deter the slugs and snails but the weather is not helping either and it is washing everything away.
We are hoping that this time, our plants will survive and get strong enough to give some produce.

 Growing morning Glories on recycled welly boots

 Trying to deter slugs of eating out squash

Also, we have made our herb planter next to the mud kitchen so we can season our pretending food during our play.

Article in the local magazine THE KNOWLEDGE

Working in partnership with one reference centre in the area, the KOWLE WEST MEDIA CENTRE. We came together to create an article about our garden project in the local paper.
Really grateful to the article reporter, Nuria Riquelme Palazon and the magazine editor Sue Mackinnon. 
Here is the result. Online Article

Raised beds ready and going

We are having a really busy week in our garden because at last we found free soil to fill up our raised beds.
Understanding that our budget is £0, we depends on donations and every opportunity that we find around the Bristol area. This time, we found free soil through Gumtree so we could plant out all our seedlings that have been growing in the green house for months.
With the adults help the children fill up the beds using rakes and spades and a shopping trolly as a working tools. Carrying, raking and stomping the soil in the planters.

Planting Peas. Using tools, being careful with the plants, following instructions and taking turns.

 Planting butternut squash

And tomatoes

 

Here we are, working together to get the other planters ready where we could grow potatoes, beetroots and leeks.

 They are great gardeners.

Donations!! We want to thank you.

We have had some donations from people from the community that we want to thanks. Tools, plants, pots and seeds that we really need and we appreciate. Hopefully this contact with the community will continue growing stronger each day.

Also the Aldi at Church Road, contributed with our project by donating a big amount of flowers that we share between the provisions of Knowle West Children's Centre but also with other projects like the Springfield allotments and the Local officer for the front garden completion that is going on around The Knowle area.

To get our share planted, we called out for help to our parents.

ALDI at Church Road big donation. 

 

Parents has come to help us platting.

They are doing great in our front!