Winter reflections - spring plans

This is a blog I started before Christmas, but dimply didn't finish. After reading it back, it was nice to see what the children had achieved and now its wonderful to be able to look to this new year and the plans we have for them.

But here's a recap!

So it's finally here! The cold, dark nights have crept in very quickly and with it the beautiful color of the flowers has made way to bare trees and the odd frosty cyclamens. It's a time to reflect on what we have achieved and also the short space of time that we have achieved it in.

So when did our adventure start? And what started it off?

It started back in January - with the cold, wet and miserable school run. Our school is a wonderful example of 70's architecture and vision that seemed so workable and attractive back then. 40+ years on and what you find yourself looking at is a building which didn't really have character incorporated into its design. There isn't really very much you can do to a building, but if you look out of the box there are other ways to change the look of things.

I'm sure you've all read about the poor brick planter that seemed loved and unkempt - that was where it started. With the kind and generous sponsorship from Leah van Zyl and Rachel le Molegue, we were able to plant it up with geraniums and bulbs simply to make it look nice. As a team of us organically came together we found ourselves looking at what else could be done to make the school a prettier place. Over the February half term we had lots more donations of bricks, decking, shingle, paint, soil and many other basic gardening items that simply got the ball rolling. The list of 'bright' projects was endless. Planters full of flowers and tyre animals and minions to greet the children. The side of the school had a muddy area which we changed into a courtyard area with seating for the children and teachers to use. In the reception area they grew strawberries and we laid an artificial grass area for them to play on. We were also able to source the wood that was beautifully made into new outside play tables for them. Lots of weeding and lots of planting gave the school a feeling of being loved again. The children became very much involved. They learnt about planting and about the plants they were using. They sewed seeds and became very proud of the areas that they were given to watch over.
Our achievements outside of school were pretty amazing as well. The children's entered into the RHS scarecrow competition. their scarecrow was a finalist at the Hampton Court Flower Show. Alas, they didn't win, but it was an amazing journey that really had them hooked by gardening, plants and creating.
The next competition is a Christmas tree decoration one at RHS Wisley. This time they were one of ten finalists. .
Then it was time to pack up for the winter. Instead of gardening club we will have arts and crafts club. A fun, indoors, time to keep their imaginations going. Sock puppets and wind chimes are all on our list.

But what does spring bring ....other than rain!

So gardening club will start again. With the new blossom and blooming bulbs our little gardeners can get back outside and and start growing again.

Having spoken with the children, what they really want to do is to grow vegetables.....and then have competitions to see which class,club or year can do the best.

Our plans will evolve i'm sure over the next few months and now the blog is back, we will continue to tell you about our adventure.

Just a few clues from our 'to do' list :)

Bridging the generations

Its been a busy few weeks and also a few weeks full of germs, as is always the way this time of year. But we have rounded off an amazing eight months with a remembrance service at the memorial garden at St.Stephens, at the top of the school road. Yes you did read correctly - it is only eight months since we started on our adventure and we are amazed by what we have achieved. I am going to do a round up of the projects that we have completed and what we have in store in the next blog post.

It's been quite sad watching all the beautiful colour's that have appeared in the school garden slowly disappear. Seeing the oranges and browns of autumn take over, is both magical but somehow very final. This time of year I feel is fitting for remembrance day. The cold, crispness of autumn always seems fitting for such an occasion. And at 1 o'clock on the 13th of November the children walked up the hill to meet up with the British Legion representatives and pay their respects. Maybe I'm a little old school, but it gives me a really happy, warm feeling inside to see generations interact. From our tiniest representative Grace, to the head boy and girl it was lovely to see them look proud to be there. Of course you know about the memorial and how we have given it a face lift, but what about the people its for? What about the wonderful proud people who come along on that cold, sunny Monday and stood side by side the children - I couldn't help wonder what their stories were.

I spoke to Jeff Curd - He is the Chairman in Buckhurst Hill. This is his story......

My story is that my grandfather served in WW1 in the KRRC (Kings Royal Rifle Corps) he joined in 1912 and went to France in 1914 , he took part in various battles but was shot by machine gun in 1915 at Festubert as part of the Loos campaign , he survived but had to have his left leg amputated below the knee , but he survive and by him surviving it meant my father was born and me and my children unlike so many , I always wear his medals in remembrance every year .

My uncle was in the desert rats and fought in north Africa at El Alamein then onto Monte Casino and just after that he was captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW.

My father was in the Royal Signals as part of national service and I joined the Territorial Army Royal Signals 71st Signal Regiment as part of 68 squadron, the Inns of Court in 1980 and served until 1990. During this time I got the opportunity to do lots of things like parachuting , helicopters , tanks , armoured personnel carriers and rigid raiders with the royal marines so I really enjoyed my time serving and I also met my wife Janice who served in the same regiment and we are fortunate to still keep our contacts today and attend the remembrance service at the Inns of Court every year. I am privileged to be the Chairman of the Royal British Legion in Buckhurst Hill . My latest adventure was to fly in a Spitfire which had always been a childhood dream .

Jeff Curd - chairman RBL

Jeff kindly sent me some photographs of these amazing men. 

The first is my Grandad circa 1914 

The second is my Grandad in the Hospital in Rochester Kent 

The third is my Dad Circa 1954 bottom right second one in on chair

The 4th is me Circa 1984 

And if you go onto You Tube and type in Jeff Curd you will see the Spitfire video 6 mins .

You would think that our children would have nothing in common with these people, but we were in for a surprise. I asked the children from gardening club if they had a stories about Grandpas, Uncles, Aunties. If there were any stories that they could share at the service. 

Joe had an amazing story......

My Great, Great Grandad, Arthur Leverett Cove, was killed in action on the 30th September 1915 at The Battle of Loos, France, during the First World War. He was known as whitehead because of his blonde hair just like mine.       Joe, aged 7. 

My Daughter shared the story of my wonderful Grandad. 

This is my Great, Grandad Albert. He was in the second world war. He was in Egypt. He came home to his family safe. We remember the soldiers that didn't come home.   Mindy, aged 7.

It was lovely to share just half an hour bridging the generations. Seeing that actually, they have more in common with each other than they realized. 

 see our video at - https://animoto.com/play/GlNymfhH1s0zCBesQKbwdw

Would you mind voting for us :0)

We are busy getting the hub sorted and planning our stall at the Christmas market at Queens road on the 1st December as well as the Christmas fayre at school on the 15th December - after school. Phew!!! Still we have our eye on the next project.

Our SEN garden will be a sensory and stimulating garden that will be an area for ALL children when they just want some quiet time. As always, we are looking for ways to do the very best job and your vote for our project at the Aviva community awards will help us to create a unique and special place.

If you can spare two minutes to vote for our project - thank you so much.
Here is the link ........

https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-1057

Happy voting! And a massive thank you.

A reason why - An update

So this week has been really busy. As I said in the previous post, the memorial garden is ready to go. The weekend saw the base for the hub being started. Whilst sitting looking at what we had done I realized that that what we, as a team had achieved was pretty amazing. We've only being doing things since February 2017. Our list of jobs completed is impressive and our ideas for future plans, makes me smile.

Reading back over the blog, this was the one for me, that made me realize that superheros are usually disguised as just ordinary people!

To the wonderful woman that are my 'Welly Wizards'.........thank you x

Life's a funny old thing. We spend every moment of every day making choices. Some choices are important, some make no difference other than they make you, as an individual happy.
So why did I choose to do something about the brick planter thing?
If I'm honest I really don't know. Like I've said before, it bugged me. Not really important is it?
It did make me think why we do these things?
So I then asked the 'gardening gang' why they got involved and it was interesting to see why people like to do things. So I thought i'd share our reasons with you.
Angie summed it up quite simply. She and her son Harry like being outside. They love learning about plants and wildlife and the environment and getting our hands dirty.
Theresa said "I am not green fingered at all, but grew up with beautiful gardens to play in as my mum is very green fingered and lives for her gardening, but clearly hasn't passed it onto me!!. However, I am more than willing to help with whatever I can and support a fantastic cause for our school and our children. You don't need to be the best gardener to help out, there are plenty of other things to do and it is a lovely social group"
Alison has two older children that have moved on from the school but what was fascinating was that her daughter was one of the children that made the bricks to build the brick planter thing. She said " my daughters year made the kiln that sparked Mandy imagination. Seeing her enthusiasm and creativity has inspired me to get involved. The school grounds have never looked so nice. I may not like getting my hands dirty but there are lots of things to get involved with and I'm hoping my youngest will learn a thing or two!"
Rachel: I liked the fact it's good to volunteer to help the school and the surrounding area.   It is so lovely seeing the school grounds  improve with just a few parents giving up there time.  What a difference it has made.  I have had so many parents complement the school grounds.  Also good for the kids to see you don't need to spend money to help or make money you just do it to be nice.  I enjoy the Wednesday gardening club as it is so lovely to see the children learn above plants and how important it is.
Sarah:Initially, over coffee one morning Mandy ran an idea past me about a gardening club that she was thinking about starting and asked me what I thought. I told her it was a great idea.
When she asked around for volunteers to help I thought that it really wasn't for me. I hate getting dirty and I'm not green fingered at all – in fact I have a tendency to kill any of the house plants that I've owned!! However, Mandy is a friend and I felt that I should support her – especially after encouraging her to set it all up! So we turned up in the holidays and my children absolutely loved getting filthy and playing with their friends and I enjoyed meeting other mum's and dad's whilst doing the odd job. I've found that it becomes addictive and the nicer the gardens look the more you want to do! I've amazed myself at how happy I've been to walk around covered in dirt, paint or soaking wet! The biggest joy is seeing how enthusiastic the children are with the project and getting involved.
Claire said, I like the fact that I can take my toddler along. I'd love to volunteer to read or go on trips but it's always a problem with a little one, so this ticks all the boxes and I quite like gardening !
And me? Why did this feel like something I wanted to do? Well I have probably different reasons than most and I'm going to put it right out there!
And me.......
Over the last six years I've battled a constant round of health issues. One thing, literally, after another. Everything I've been diagnosed with is 'untreatable', which means there are a shed load of tablets to take, but none of it will go away. Its just a case of management. Learning how to keep it all on a balance! With this constant round of doctors appointment, hospital appointment and tests and scans and other intrusive procedures, comes depression. Days when you ask yourself, 'Is this it?', 'Is this what its always going to be like'? And when you don't have a definite answer you can find yourself feeling very alone and isolated. I just didn't want it to stop me doing something constructive, which is probably why the brick planter thing (this will be what its referred to forever now) seemed like a manageable project. Bulbs. A bag of bulbs would be all it took. Of course its grown, no pun meant there, into something wonderfully exciting. So has being involved cured the depression, cured the symptoms of the my unpleasant illnesses? NO!. No it hasn't but you know its true what they say. Laughter, really is the best medicine. On a bad day or week all I have to say is 'I'm not up to it'. No one questions me, no one holds me to account for what needs to be done. And my lovely gardening gang friends just ask how I am, if I need anything, if there's anything I need doing.  And on a good day, I do something  that makes a difference. To the children that smile as they walk past the minion planters. To the teachers who have a brighter area to sit and eat lunch. To the reception children that have a lovely fake grass area in their playground to just lay and chill.
I've made lovely friends. I've achieved something.

This was the memorial garden before 

After. 

 And of course........the original planter. 

Lest we forget

I wonder what your average 7 year old thinks about Remembrance Day ?
When I ask my little one, she says it's to do with the war.
She isn't wrong, but I'm not sure that most children really understand what it means to 'remember them'.

Sadly the understanding of "what was given by so few for so many" seems long gone. Maybe that is because this generation, except for a few, probably don't actual know anyone who was in the second world war. My Grandad was. His brother was. I was always very aware that they were the men that went and fought for their country. My country.  Although, war is war, maybe children see war differently these days. With media playing such a big part in how we see and understand modern day conflicts, maybe children have become slightly removed.

So how do you bridge that gap? How do you make them, remember them ?

Our latest project is one I think is so important in the busy, consumed world we all live in. We were asked by the local British Legion if we would like to look after the little memorial garden at the top of road from the school.
We have been planning it for some time, and the trouble with time is that it runs away with itself! But with November just weeks away, we decided that everything else had to stop and for a week. We had to concentrate on this small patch and make it a fitting memorial for all the men and woman that are lost fighting in the name of our country.

This was how it looked a couple of months ago. Bind weed had taken over the back and weeds had rooted themselves in the paving stones.
The question now was what to do and how to involve the children? We know we have to set all our projects up so we know they are safe for the children to get involved in. So where to start?
Like all things we do, we start off with a plan and then simply rearrange it until we think that looks nice. So there was a plan. We juggled it. The result we think is fitting. A place we hope people will stop and reflect every day not just remembrance day.

Gone are the weeds and in its place artificial grass that we felt represented all the battle fields where wars were fought. Simple boxes for bright plants to add some colour. Angie and her magic paintbrush took Alison's idea of poppies and combined the two.
So now we just have to get the children involved. The plan is that the children from gardening club will maintain the flower beds and look after what is growing there. We have a big bag of bulbs which we will get them to plant so that in the spring the planters will have daffodils blowing about in the breeze.

Its odd how a few days and the muscles of Rachel, the ideas of Alison and Angie and her paint brush can turn a area into something important again. Our war memorial's shouldn't just blend into their surroundings. They should stand out and make us think.

This remembrance day, as always I will think of my Granddad.
Of our trips to the cenotaph on a chilly November day.
The silence and the memories, of those both past and present.
Those who came home.
 Remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice and didn't make it back.

We hope that people will feel its somewhere to go and remember their love ones no longer with them and lets hope that it will make the children that pass it everyday to school stop and think...........We Will Remember Them.

As always a massive thank you to Easigrass, Wickes - Langstone Road and Wyevale Garden Centre.

On our Twitter page & Facebook page - The welly wizards - there are more photo's of the project and how it came along.

Minions do travel !

Now we are back into the swing of things and a little bit more settled we've been ticking jobs off the list. The children have re planted the front planter ready for the Autumn. The ink cartridge recycling project is now in full swing. The Wednesday gardening club are incharge of this project and are doing a fabulous job. The memorial garden has been weeded and we have dug up the weeds in between the paving stones. In the next few days the flower beds will be put in space and then the artificial grass put down. Angie has finished painting the new tyre minions at the Noah's ark pre-school. Two friendly faces all ready for the children to plant up. So now our minions have friends at the end of the road.

Next on our list is the garden hub. So they next few weeks should bring about amazing changes both at school and the community around.

The pre schools new friends :0)

In the next week or so we aim to change the look of the memorial garden. 

You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook - the welly wizards 

Time just flys by !

It's already October - honestly it is! I'm not too sure how that happened to be honest.
There we were doing a few jobs over the summer holidays and well, now we are watching the leaves float down from the branches and the nights draw in.

The question is what have we achieved since we broke up in July?

Well smiley the wild is now placed in his forever home - mind you he is headless!
We've painted. Made dull walls look brighter.
We've tidied up the side court yard.
Brian has built the most beautiful new play desk area for reception.
Mrs Muir has a lovely patio with a blaze of pink flowers.

So we have been getting some jobs done. But there are lots more projects that we need to do.

For the Autumn and winter months we have the following projects planned and we really need your help if you can help in any way at all.

Number one project - the gardening hub.
First of all we need to get the hub put together so the children have somewhere to go during the winter months. The hub will be used by everyone in the school. It wil be a place for teachers to teach the children science and nature studies. So it's something we are all excited about.

Number two project - the SEN garden.
We are blessed to have such wonderful grounds. There is an area that houses a small unused pond and is a bit overgrown. The children at gardening club have come up with some wonderful ideas for this area, to turn it into a tranquil, calm and wonderful sensory garden that will be known as the smile garden.

Number three project - the memorial garden.
We will be starting to spruce up the memorial garden at the top of lower queens road next week. A wonderful project that brings the generations together. The children and really excited to be part of this.

Because we are a self funded group we are always looking for ways to raise money.
Our latest money raiser is by recycling ink cartridges. If you have any old ink cartridges or work for a company that doesn't already recycle we would love to have your old cartridges. Please contact us to arrange boxes and collection.

If you would like to help us by being a sponsor for any of these projects your support is always welcome. Maybe you could help us get a bench for the memorial garden or flooring for the hub. Any help however big or small is always welcome.

Now we are back in the swing of things we will keep you a bit more updates on how all these projects are progressing.