Long Eaton School, Derbyshire
This term, we’d like to highlight the work of the Long Eaton School in Derbyshire, our gold awards winners from last year! Our eco-minded students at the school have been working on a wide variety of projects, from planting a tree to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, to hosting world environmental fun days and the “greenfingers gardening programme” – the staff and students have certainly been busy.
In July last year, the Long Eaton School hosted the world environmental fun day. We love this idea, as it was a great chance to get everyone from the local area together and to get them to think green. All students were involved, from the steel band that greeted everyone to the student first aid team, and staff had secured a great line up of speakers (including some students!) to inspire and motivate the next generation.
As part of their “greenfingers gardening programme”, students received and grew potatoes from the potato council in their own meadow. Gardening is a skill that students often engage with – being able to see the results of their efforts - and we like to encourage people to think about growing their own food, or cultivating gardens to be more wildlife friendly. We were also pleased to see the Long Eaton School taking part in “Focus on a crocus” day, where purple crocuses are planted, and money donated towards eradicating polio.
Do you feel inspired by the Long Eaton School? Do you have an area of land in your school that could be turned into a wildlife meadow or vegetable garden? Or could you put on an event that welcomes people into your school and encourages them to think about environmental issues? Have a think about how you could get involved, and remember to let us know what you’re up to, maybe next year your school could win a Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Award too!If you need a bit of help starting up a gardening project at your school then these resources from our Dustbowl Mission can help: