For several years, Gardening sessions and work experience opportunities for our young people at Aran Hall School have been a feature of timetables and weekly activity plans. Following the building of a purpose-built Gardening classroom, it has positively bloomed!
The new classroom provides an ideal space for young people and staff to pot plants, share ideas, store materials and learn interesting and useful facts about the natural world and local environment.
Our young people have always shown a keen interest in the nature on their door-step – and aren’t we lucky that it literally is right here on our door-step? Now they have the facilities to take their grand-scale ideas to the next level: chicken coops are planned and ready for building; fruit trees are planted; the poly-tunnel is bursting with plants and crops. It’s an exciting time for the young people and teacher Ewen Silcock, responsible for the Gardening projects.
Something that wasn’t quite so exciting was the inside of the Gardening classroom: although practical and ideal for purpose, it somehow seemed a bit dull compared with the promising plans being made. Cue Art teacher, Richard Morgan, who has been working with the young people on a variety of projects since 2019, and his equally grand imagination and creativity.
A transformation has taken place and when you step inside the classroom, it’s no longer like walking into any garden shed; it’s like being plunged into the middle of the rainforest! The walls boast an explosion of colourful plans and wildlife – it’s a truly magical vision. And what makes it even more special and inspirational is that it’s the work of our very own young people; everyone has contributed. Their mission – and, yes, they chose to accept it with the most impressive grace – has been a huge success and a wonderful way of blending the practicalities of gardening with the creativity of art: an impressive space where the imaginations of our youngsters can be cultivated with ease and flair.
Congratulations to our young people, Richard and Ewen, and thank you for sharing your talent with this transformation!
