Award-winning Shropshire landscaping firm Inspires the next generation through school garden project

Working in partnership with the school, Butler Landscapes, based at Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, is volunteering its expertise to transform an underused outdoor space into an inclusive sensory garden that will support outdoor learning, wellbeing and environmental education for years to come.

The ambitious project, which covers a 12m x 50m area, has been designed to create a welcoming environment for all pupils, with features that stimulate the senses through planting, texture, scent, colour and sound.

The garden will also include areas for growing vegetables, encouraging recycling and sustainability, and providing opportunities for outdoor learning.

From the outset, the primary school, part of the Empower Trust, and Butler Landscapes,  an award-winning garden design, landscape construction, and garden maintenance company, wanted the children to be at the heart of the project.

Working alongside the school's Eco Council, made up of pupils from Years 3 to 6, the team delivered a series of three interactive workshops designed to introduce the children to the principles of landscape design while encouraging them to share their own ideas for the space.

During the first workshop, pupils explored the site before learning how professional landscape designers use scaled plans and scale rulers. The children were given their own scaled drawings to take home and challenged to create their own designs for the garden space, thinking carefully about how the garden could be enjoyed by everyone.

The second workshop gave pupils the opportunity to present their ideas, which were then incorporated into Butler Landscapes' evolving design. In the final session, the completed concept was shared with the children, who added further creative ideas, including reusing old bicycle wheels with coloured elements between the spokes to create colourful patterns in the sunlight.

The project has also been carefully designed to honour the memory of a former pupil with a dedicated marine-themed area inspired by her love of ocean life. Existing memorial features will be respectfully incorporated into the new garden alongside plans for a wave sculpture and peaceful reflection space.

Sharon Butler, Director at Butler Landscapes said:

"When we first visited the school, we felt it was really important that the children were involved because it's their space. It was fantastic to see their enthusiasm and creativity. We wanted to teach them some of the skills we use every day, like reading scaled plans and thinking about designing spaces for everyone, while giving them the opportunity to shape the garden themselves. Their ideas have genuinely influenced the final design."

The project has already secured £1,000 in funding through Veolia’s  EnviroGrant, thanks to the efforts of Pru Allison, Grants Coordinator at St George's PTFA (Parent Teacher Fundraising Association), with a further funding application currently awaiting approval.

St George’s Headteacher Kelly Lee said:

"We want the space to be used for outdoor learning, wellbeing and relaxation and open to all our students. Student wellbeing is a high priority for us as a school, and we wanted to take a holistic approach to how it could be used. To bring the project to fruition, parent and PTFA Co-chair Charlotte Todd-Smith contacted Butler Landscapes, and they have been absolutely brilliant."

Deputy Headteacher Charlotte Worley added:

"Sharon and her team came up with a brilliant plan that took into account the drawings and ideas of our Eco Council students. The proposed garden will be a quiet, sensory environment with plants that can be touched and smelled, alongside carefully considered features that support both wellbeing and biodiversity. The workshops taught the children valuable planning and design skills while giving them ownership of the project."

The project has also received support from BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries), whose GoLandscape initiative has provided educational resources and inspiration to help engage young people with careers in landscaping and horticulture.

Work is expected to begin during the summer holidays, with the first phase involving site clearance before volunteers, local businesses and suppliers come together to help bring the design to life.

Butler Landscapes and St George's Junior School are now appealing for support from businesses and the local community. Donations of materials, services or funding will help ensure the garden can be completed and enjoyed by generations of pupils to come. Alongside community projects, Butler Landscapes also design and create commercial wellbeing gardens and have completed a number of award-winning projects.

Anyone interested in supporting the project can contact the school's PTFA at yourptfa@gmail.com.

For more information on Butler Landscapes, please visit https://www.butler-landscapes.co.uk/