Hunslet Carr Primary School cut the ribbon on their new allotment last Sunday (25 September 2016) and showed off the vegetables the children have been growing.
Photos by Andrew Price and Jeremy Morton
The impressive display included kale, courgettes, carrots,pumpkins and beetroot.
Martin Lumb, Headteacher commented:
“The allotment has made a huge difference to the school. We want our school to be at the heart of the community. This has been a very positive way of building relationships with our neighbours.
“Working in the allotment has given a real confidence boost to the children, particularly those that struggle with English and Maths. They can see success in the allotment and see that their hard work pays off.”
He also confirmed that the vegetables will be used in school meals over the coming weeks.
Local residents Catherine Bennett, Baz Wilson and Margaret Harper have been on site over the summer holidays to keep everything watered and weeded. Catherine said: “We grew all to of plants from seed for the children to plant out in the beds. It’s been so worthwhile and we’ve made a lot of new friends.”
Kenny Saunders from the Hunslet Carr Residents Association has been involved in the project from the start:
“This was a wasteland. It’s taken a long time and we’ve had to be persistent, but now we have a real community asset. It just shows what a community can do, working with their school.”
As well as the raised beds and greenhouse, the allotment boasts an outdoor seating area and a wildlife area. There are plans to create a shallow pond and to keep chickens in the future.
HCRA and the school were supported in the project by a grant from local ward councillors on the Inner South Community Committee and by Groundwork Leeds.
