Grants
‘The trees are something the
children can take ownership of’ Our primary school has done a lot of work with Veolia (such as litter picking in local parks and building a bug hotel) and we have a good relationship with their local education, communications and outreach worker, Romy Santer. We are a small school of 275 pupils
on the outskirts of Watford, with a large playing field that used to be the site of the water storage tanks used for steam trains. The field gets lots of sun but very little shade, so the offer of free fruit trees from Veolia sounded like an ideal solution. Trees create their own natural air
conditioning and they are something the children can take ownership of by helping to plant the saplings and
manage the area around them. There are also links to science as pupils can measure the growth of the trees and understand how and why they blossom and bear fruit. We were delighted to receive two pear trees, two apple trees and a plum tree. The children were fascinated by
how deep they had to dig to plant the trees and all the old roots they came across as they did so. They were also excited about the fruit they would get – so much so that we’ve put in another bid and hope to get more trees this year! Lynne Wambeek, assistant head, Bromet Primary School (Agora Learning Partnership) Watford
‘We’ve put in another bid and hope to get more trees this year!’
Veolia scheme
bears fruit Launched in 2022, this national partnership between resource management company Veolia, the community action charity Groundwork and Tesco aims to create a national network of school orchards. Schools can apply for free fruit trees
and strawberry plants to help pupils develop new skills and create positive changes in their environments. As the trees and plants mature, they will provide a source of healthy food, while also helping to improve local air quality and support biodiversity. In 2022, the programme provided
500 fruit trees and 100 bird boxes to 100 schools. This year, they will be supporting another 187 schools with more than 500 trees and 700 strawberry plants. The initiative is part of Veolia’s
Sustainable Schools programme, which includes interactive assemblies, workshops, competitions and e-learning resources for schools on how to support the planet through sustainability, recycling and minimising waste. For more information on Veolia Orchard, visit
veolia.co.uk/schools. Applications for 2024 open next summer. Schools should highlight how they intend to integrate their trees into a learning programme.
16 AUTUMN 2023 FundEd
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
