South Devon eco-friendly school gardens win prizes in council competition

South Devon primary schools have been demonstrating their environmental awareness

By PRSD, on Thursday, December 15, 2011

Pupils from Rydon Primary School along with Janette Parker (Tesco community champion), Sally Maunder (headteacher), Tracey Fey (TDC Waste Education Officer), Karen Smith (Leader of Rydon Primary School Gardening Group), and Emily Hadley (Eco-Schools coordinator at Rydon Primary School)

South Devon primary schools have been sowing the seeds of environmental awareness with their pupils thanks to a competition run by Teignbridge District Council in partnership with Tesco.

The competition sought out schools with sustainable garden aspirations, asking teachers to work with pupils to come up with new ideas for sustainable school eco-gardens and descriptions of how sustainable any existing gardens were and how they could improve.

Rydon Primary School in Kingsteignton scooped the top prize of a £50 garden voucher to develop their garden. Judges were impressed by their use of planters made from recycled plastic bottles and used tyres, along with the use of vegetables from the garden in school meals, with more vegetables being sold to parents. They make compost on their site and use a water butt.

Second place Kenton Primary School won a water butt, gardening tools, seeds and compost, while third place Christow Primary School won a home compost bin, gardening tools, seeds and compost.

Teignbridge District Council ran the competition, which was judged by Executive Member for Environmental Services Cllr Kevin Lake, Waste Education Officer Tracey Fey, and Tesco’s community champion Janette Parker. Tesco’s Kingsteignton store donated prizes to the competition.

The judges visited the schools this month to present the prizes, meet teachers and pupils and see their gardens first hand.

(from a press release)