A school garden project on the site of an old swimming pool got a major spruce up over the summer, thanks to the generosity of local contractors who donated their time, expertise and materials.
Students in the gardening club at Theale Green School were wowed on their return after the summer break to find a new sleeper staircase, paths, patio and pergola, raised planting beds and repaired clubhouse.
The work – estimated to be worth around £12k in labour and materials – was done thanks to commercial fit out company Overbury, who have offices in nearby Bracknell. Site Manager Jason Shadbolt explains: “It’s part of our company culture to give something back to the communities we work in. We recognise that a lot of the projects we work on wouldn’t be possible without community support, so we’re keen to help with local projects.
“I was put in touch with Andrew [Andrew Wilson, head of Art & Technology, and also ‘chief gardener’ of Theale’s garden] by the local church. His passion for the garden and what it means to the kids who can relax and get a sense of achievement from the garden really won me over and we wanted to help.”
Overbury being the principal contractor working with local companies, contributed both labour and materials in collaboration with our trusted supply chain partners, Sale who contributed benches; Bushcrafted provided wood and carpenters; and Level 1 took care of the concrete and patio.
The work took around five days to complete, and Theale’s Andrew Wilson couldn’t be happier!
“The efforts over the summer have made such a dramatic difference to the garden. When we started the project in 2021 with a few spades and a lot of safety concerns it was impossible to imagine we would be where we are today. We now have a fully functional garden over a site big enough for four tennis courts!
“The steps and paths that have been constructed are perfect and the timing could not be better, as autumn weather sets in our students will be so glad they can now avoid sliding down a muddy bank! And we love the incredible new patio, seating and pergola, which we plan to light up at night and use throughout the school year for meetings, teaching and for students to socialise in at lunchtime.
“To see the students enjoying the space again now the term has started is a joy. Our gardening club had more than 50
students coming for the very first lunch session – they were straight out there planting up around the new steps. Inspired by the building work, some of our Year 8 gardeners have decided to plan and construct a raised walking platform and maybe even a pond.
“You never know, this building work might just be the catalyst for young people to set their sight on construction, site planning or even garden design as a future career.”
“We’re so grateful to all the contractors who have helped transform an old pool site into something the students of Theale Green will enjoy and learn from for years to come, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the garden project here at Theale in the future”.
- The Garden Project has recently been the interest of BBC Gardeners World, who asked the school to submit a video of work done there. Although not greenlit for use in the programme, the school had some lovely feedback: ‘You’ve managed to pull off really impressive feats of growing, and I was particularly impressed by the way you’re reusing and repurposing old kit into the garden. You’ve got such a lovely community, and I hope you keep up the good work!’ Libby Welsh, BBC Gardeners World.
