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Fawley Refinery - ‘Greener Grounds’ for Southampton School

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Children at Noadswood School in Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, are celebrating becoming a Greener Grounds' school with the opening of their ‘grow their own food’ garden.

 

Several raised beds were added to the grounds to allow the pupils to begin growing their own vegetables, becoming a healthier, greener school.

 

The improvements made to the school’s grounds were part funded by Fawley refinery's ExxonMobil Greener Grounds Grant Scheme, managed by the national school grounds charity, Learning through Landscapes.

 

Stuart Wilkinson, Learning and Development Manager at Noadswood School said, “The project has had a really positive affect on the pupils who have been totally involved in all aspects of the development.

 

The raised beds are a part of a wider development of a school allotment that will help our pupils learn outside the classroom.

 

The pupils will help plan, construct, plant and maintain the beds for growing food.”

 

Year 10 pupil David Larbalestier, who has been involved with the allotment project since it began explains, “Noadswood Allotment is a project that involves all age groups within the school.

 

It was set up mainly to get pupils involved in doing something creative as well as fun outside of school.

 

I like it because it gets a lot of pupils involved in learning how things grow and more importantly how to grow them.

 

It gives us a hands-on approach to preparing space for growing fruit and vegetables, and then seeing the result of that a few months down the line when we harvest the crop.”

 

Since the developments have been made, the school has seen a surge in pupil interest with a large increase in the number of members in the allotment club.

 

“We are very pleased with how pupils and staff have become involved at every available opportunity” said Mr Wilkinson.

 

The £450 cash award from ExxonMobil Greener Grounds also inspired the school to raise additional funds to provide fencing and a shed for the grounds as well as tools and seeds to get the pupils growing

 

The ExxonMobil Greener Grounds Grant Scheme aims to enable ExxonMobil to develop greater links with staff and their local communities and to improve the environments of schools within the locations it provides employment

 

Chris Blake, Chair of Governors at the school and ExxonMobil employee based at Fawley, said, "It's very encouraging to see the school extending the breadth of the curriculum in this way, through both classroom and club-based activities.

 

As an ExxonMobil Chemical employee and as a governor, I am pleased to be able to give my support to this."

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