Specialist plants centre Love Plants is supporting pupils of Meole Brace School in Shrewsbury to create gardens as part of a life skills course.
Love Plants, which is based at caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure’s headquarters at Emstrey, Shrewsbury, has given the school £100 worth of plants, seeds, flowers and compost to establish the gardens on areas land that were previously unused.
Pupils aged from 12 to 16 years will be growing vegetables, flowers and plants and learning to tend to look after the garden, which will also have bird feeders and bug hotels, to encourage independent living skills.
Pupils and teaching assistants Ange Powell and Tracey Thompson are pictured with Love Plants’ manager Tim Robinson and assistant manager Heather Evans and Nikki Jardine, Salop Leisure’s marketing officer.
Teaching assistant Ange Powell said the group of 12 pupils were creating the gardens as part of their ASDAN life skills course and were excited to be given the donation by Love Plants.
In addition to a main vegetable patch of 12 square metres, they are creating a patio garden. “They are areas that people didn’t previously bother with and the children are so excited to have the plants, seeds and other products from Love Plants,” said Ange.
“They are selling cakes to raise money to put picnic benches and are all digging out the vegetable patch. The gardens give the children a focus and will make the school look beautiful.”
Love Plants’ manager Tim Robinson said the specialist plants centre is this year celebrating its fifth birthday and it was delighted to be able to support the school’s new gardens and to introduce pupils to the joys of gardening and growing plants.
