Scunthorpe’s Trent View College has clinched the distinguished gold award from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for its innovative kitchen garden, labelled ‘the Living Larder’. The unique garden combines vegetables and flowers together and was acknowledged at the RHS flower show held at Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire. The achievement stands not only as a horticulture success, but also as a project that empowers students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), providing them with valuable employability skills.
Sarah Parker, the head teacher, commended the students’ devotion to the project, stating that the gardening initiative offers them a sense of ‘value and purpose’, and promotes independence. Over a period of months, students have nurtured plants from seeds, resulting in a vibrant display of white flowers, purple vegetables, and green foliage. According to the RHS, this combination left a ‘striking visual impact’.
The yield from the garden will go towards local food banks, giving back to the community further. One student, 18-year-old Kyla, shared her enthusiasm for the project, saying, ‘I enjoy planting, watering and growing from seed.’
This accomplishment underlines the potential of such gardening projects for aiding educational and personal development for SEND students in Lincolnshire.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post, from original reporting found at www.bbc.com.
