Daventry school students plea for community help with new sensory garden

The Parker Academy pupils want to recycle unwanted items for their project.

Their Student Well-being Team has big ideas for an exciting space that the whole school can enjoy, including 20 pupils who will join the new Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) hub later this year.

As well as providing a quiet place for students to meet and learn, the garden will stimulate the senses with outdoor art, musical installations and a variety of building and paving materials. The space will also be eco-friendly, with a planting scheme to attract wildlife and a pledge to re-use and recycle as many building materials as possible.

Funding for the project is limited, so students are reaching out to the local community for help.

Teacher Louise Townsend said: “Our students are on the lookout for materials that can be transformed to make a garden full of colour, texture and sound. We would love to hear from anyone who might be able to donate imaginative materials, such as willow that can be woven into outdoor screens, or weatherproof fabric that could make a canopy for a sunny day."

Nuala Glover, co-chair of Ambassadors for the school added: “The students also need to source free building materials such as old railway sleepers or paving stones that could make interesting paths and patios for the garden. It’s a great project and we’re confident that the local community will support it."

If you have any items that the school might be able to use, or you drive a van and could collect any larger pieces within the local area, please get in touch with [email protected] or [email protected].