The rainbow garden at Paulton Primary School

Established over 25 years ago, Avon Gardens Trust is part of a national network of county gardens trusts

Besides having a particular interest in the conservation and enjoyment of historic gardens and public parks, county gardens trusts are also keen to promote the importance of outdoor learning through the development of gardens in primary schools.

Avon Gardens Trust is keen to encourage primary schools in our area develop their school gardens. Applications are invited from primary schools for small grants to help them purchase plants or gardening equipment.

Applications for 2018 are now closed. Please come back later for news of 2019 grants.

The Trust is especially keen to hear from pupils in primary schools who are members of their School Council or school gardening club. Please tell us about your school, what the garden projects are and what flowers or vegetables are already being grown. We would like to hear what you would like to do next and how a grant could help you achieve that. There are lots of things that can be done but a few of our ideas include the purchase of fruit trees, vegetables or flowering plants or even the buying of garden tools.

Avon Gardens Trust would be delighted to make an award to help a primary school with their gardening projects. The list below gives a few ideas of what could be purchased:

Plants for the sensory garden
Plants to attract wildlife
Fruit trees
Seeds and seedlings
Rain water butt
Plastic forks, trowels, potting compost, watering cans
Herbs that can be used in cooking
Previous Years

2017

This year, Avon Gardens Trust made a donation to Culverhill School, a special school in Yate that caters for 135 pupils with ages ranging from 7 to 16 years.

As the pupils at the school have complex learning difficulties, tasks are broken down into small steps with lots of visual and tactile clues. As part of this learning process, the school wanted to build raised accessible beds so pupils could take part in the growing flowers and vegetables.

The communication and interaction difficulties experienced by the pupils is helped by gardening as it provides the ideal environment for building relationships with others. This in turn assists with their social and emotional development and well-being.

The Trust was delighted to make a donation to the school and we look forward to visiting the school in the spring of next year.

Culverhill School,
Kelston Close, Yate, South Gloucestershire

2016

Avon Gardens Trust were delighted to make two awards to primary schools in our area.

One was a village school in North Somerset while the second was a city school in Bristol. Both schools are very keen to encourage and involve their pupils in learning about and understanding their outdoor environment. Read more about our visit to St Andrew's Primary School here.

Ashton Gate Primary School,
Ashton Gate Rd, Bristol

St Andrew’s C of E Primary School,
Station Road, Congresbury, North Somerset

2015

For 2015, the Trust has also continued with our policy of awarding small grants to primary schools in our area.

This year we donated grants to the following ten primary schools, six in Bath & North East Somerset and four in Bristol.

Bathford CofE VC Primary,
Dovers Park, Bathford, Bath & NE Somerset

Combe Down CofE Primary,
Church Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

Hillcrest Primary,
Totterdown, Bristol

The Kingfisher School,
St Anne’s, Bristol

St Andrew’s CofE Primary,
Northampton Street, Bath

St Mary’s Catholic Primary,
Weston, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

St Mary Redcliffe CofE Primary,
Windmill Hill, Bristol

St Stephen’s CofE Primary,
Richmond Place, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

Weston All Saints CofE Primary,
Broadmoor Lane, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

Woodstock School,
Henbury, Bristol

2014

The grants that we donated to ten primary schools in the Bristol, South Gloucester and North Somerset area in 2014 were much appreciated. Just three examples are:

Henbury Court Primary Academy who said the grant enabled them to buy seeds and plants for their colourful enclosed garden which is a haven of peace and tranquillity amid a very large playing field. The children were not there when I visited but the special needs teacher who showed me around said it was an invaluable asset especially for troubled children to relax in.

The Oasis Academy in Hengrove used the money to buy tools such as the new wheelbarrow being put to good use seen here. The gardening club have built raised beds using planks and tyres and it was good to see the children’s enthusiasm as they harvested radishes and lettuces. I also much enjoyed an afternoon with the gardening club at St Theresa’s RC Primary in Monks Park, Bristol helping them to build their scarecrow. The grant had enabled them to mend their eco greenhouse made of plastic bottles and to buy evergreen plants to adorn their ‘Octopus’s Garden’. The children also proudly showed me their school chickens and the two eggs they had produced that day!

It has been so good to see all this gardening activity and enjoyment in our schools. I would love to hear from any schools who think they might benefit from our support, and also from other organisations or initiatives in our area who are working towards the same end – ie promoting the concept of outdoor learning through the development of gardens in primary schools.

Cynthia Troup

Henbury Court Primary Academy

The Oasis Academy

Cynthia with children
at St Theresa’s RC Primary

Ashton Vale Primary,
Avebury Road, Bristol

Bannerman Road Community
Academy and Children’s Centre,
Easton, Bristol

Burrington Primary School,
Burrington, North Somerset

Cheddar Grove Primary,
Cheddar Grove, Bristol

Henbury Court Primary Academy,
Henbury, Bristol

Oasis Academy New Oak,
Hengrove, Bristol

Old Sodbury CofE Primary,
Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire

St John’s Mead CofE VC Primary,
Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire

St Nicholas’ Chantry CofE VC Primary,
Clevedon, North Somerset

St Theresa’s Catholic Primary,
Monks Park, Bristol

Cynthia with children and their crop of potatoes at Freshford Primary School

2013

As a new member of the committee, I have taken on the responsibility of Education. A retired primary teacher, I taught in various Bristol primaries but mainly Victoria Park, Bedminster; Gay Elms, Withywood and finally All Hallows Preparatory, Cranmore.

This year, I have loved visiting three of the primaries that had benefited from our grants, and I feel very enthusiastic about facilitating and supporting gardening in schools.

Especially impressive was Paulton Primary School, where a keen Teaching Assistant had worked wonders with the children who had designed a garden in rainbow colours, and gleefully showed off their healthy looking vegetables and little pond.

Cynthia Troup

Bailey’s Court Primary,
Bradley Stoke, Bristol

Blackhorse Primary,
Emersons Green, South Gloucestershire

Bromley Heath Infants,
Downend, South Gloucestershire

Cadbury Heath Primary,
Warmley, South Gloucestershire

Elm Park Primary,
Winterbourne, Bristol

Farrington Gurney CoE Primary,
Farrington Gurney, Bath & NE Somerset

Freshford Primary,
Freshford, Bath & NE Somerset

Hawkesbury Primary,
Hawkesbury Upton, South Gloucestershire

Marksbury CofE Primary,
Marksbury, Bath & NE Somerset

Newbridge Primary,
Charmouth Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

Old Sodbury CofE Primary,
Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire

Parson Street Primary,
Bedminster Road, Bristol

Paulton Junior,
Paulton, Bath & NE Somerset

Shield Road Primary,
Shields Avenue, South Gloucestershire

Southdown Infants,
Mount Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

St Andrews CofE Primary,
Julian Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

St Mary’s CofE Primary,
Timsbury, Bath & NE Somerset

St Mary’s CofE VA Primary,
Portbury, North Somerset

St Saviour’s CofE Junior,
Larkhall, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

2012

In this last academic year, we received applications for a small grant towards gardens from eight schools within Avon. Two of the schools were from Bath and North East Somerset and six were from North Somerset. All these schools received a grant of £25 per school.

Following the Annual General Meeting in July, it was proposed, seconded and agreed by the members present that the amount given to each successful school in the future would be increased to £50 per school. So for the 2012-13 academic year, Avon Gardens Trust will continue with this arrangement and invite primary schools in the four districts to apply for a small grant to spend on improvements to their school gardens.

Ros Delany

Planting a new tree at St Michael's Junior School, Bath
Read more here

Banwell Primary,
Banwell, North Somerset

Mendip Green Primary,
Greenwood Road, Weston-super-Mare, N Somerset

Northleaze CofE Primary,
Long Ashton, North Somerset

St Michael’s CofE Junior,
Newton Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

St John the Evangelist CofE Primary,
Clevedon, North Somerset

St John’s Primary,
Midsomer Norton, Bath & NE Somerset

Trinity Anglican-Methodist Primary,
Portishead, North Somerset

West Leigh Infants,l
Backwell, North Somerset

2011

This year, following close liaison with the Healthy Schools Co-ordinators in our four unitary authorities, Avon Gardens Trust invited primary schools to apply for small grants that would help to enhance their school gardening projects.

Of the seven schools who applied, two were from Bristol, one from Bath, three from North Somerset and one from a village in South Gloucestershire.

All the schools had active gardening clubs most of which met on a weekly basis. Apart from one school, all were planning to use their grant from the Trust to purchase either vegetable seeds and plug plants or fruit trees. The exception was Kewstoke School near Weston-super-Mare. This school of one hundred pupils is housed in a Victorian building with a tiny playground. Some raised beds had been built and the money was going to enhance the environment for the pupils by the purchase of bulbs and plants that would attract wildlife.

The grants of £25 each have gone some way towards helping seven schools in our area further the concept of outdoor learning.

Ros Delany

Brentry Primary,
Brentry Lane, Bristol

Christ Church CofE Primary,
Kewstoke, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset

Combe Down CofE Primary,
Church Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset

St Werburgh’s Primary,
James Street, Bristol

Trinity CofE Primary,
Acton Turville, South Gloucestershire

Walliscote Primary,
Walliscote Road, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset

Windwhistle Primary,
Kingsley Road, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset