Community comes together to transform school space into £80,000 Sensory Garden

Local businesses, volunteers and community groups are being invited to help bring an ambitious new sensory garden to life at St George’s Junior School in Shrewsbury.

Work has now begun on the £80k project, which will transform an underused 12m x 50m area of the school grounds for use by St George’s and Woodfield Infants School children into an inclusive outdoor space designed to support children’s wellbeing, outdoor learning and environmental education.

The project has recently received a major boost with a recent £10,000 donation from the Shropshire Horticultural Society, following a funding request from the school’s Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA), which is spearheading the project and seeking funding, grants and support from the community.

The school is appealing for further donations, either financial, garden items, or volunteer help to ensure the garden project comes to fruition.

Last week, the PTFA secured a further grant of £2000 from Housing Plus Group Community Fund. The committee chose to support the sensory garden because it believes the project will benefit the lives and communities of our tenants and customers.

It has also secured a grant of £17,000 from Addagrip Terraco to supply the resin hardstanding areas for the whole project for free and a pupil’s dad, at Benbow Brothers Tree Surgeons has volunteered to remove 4 large conifers and cut back a large tree.

The garden has been designed in partnership with award-winning, family-run Shropshire landscaping company Butler Landscapes, based at Tern Hill near Market Drayton. The company has volunteered its expertise and time for free, working closely with pupils to develop the design and is helping lead the practical delivery of the project.

Butler Landscapes specialises in garden design, landscape construction and garden maintenance across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. It also creates commercial wellbeing gardens. Its award-winning work combines architectural design services with practical landscaping and a strong focus on how outdoor spaces can benefit people and the environment.

Putting pupils at the heart of the design

Butler Landscapes has worked with the school's Eco Council with pupils from Years 3 to 6, to ensure the children themselves have helped shape the garden.

Three interactive workshops introduced pupils to professional landscape design, including how to use scaled plans and consider how a space can be designed for everyone.

The children presented their own ideas, many of which have been incorporated into the final plans. These include colourful features made from reused bicycle wheels, vegetable-growing areas and spaces designed to encourage biodiversity and recycling.

The garden will stimulate the senses through sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, while providing quiet areas where children can relax, regulate their emotions, and reconnect with nature.

It will also include a dedicated marine-themed area created in memory of Olivia, a former pupil who sadly passed away and who had a love of ocean life. Her existing memorial features will be incorporated alongside plans for a wave sculpture and peaceful reflection area.

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. Their ideas have genuinely influenced the final design.”

Community support already making a difference

The project has been organised by volunteers of the PTFA. The first phase of funding included £1,000 from Veolia’s EnviroGrant, secured through the efforts of PTFA Grants Coordinator Pru Allison. The new £10,000 donation from the Shropshire Horticultural Society, arranged by PTFA Co-Chair Charlotte Todd-Smith provides another significant step towards making the garden a reality. The funding is allocated to buy specific items including a bench, sun sail. planting borders and a living willow sculpture. Charlotte has also secured materials from MKM Building Supplies in Shrewsbury at cost price.

The school held its first ‘All-Hands Day’ last month, when members of the school community came together to clear much of the site.

Volunteers cut back shrubs, removed tree stumps, prepared bases for a new shed and greenhouse and generally cleared and tidied the area.

PTFA Co-Chair Mrs Todd-Smith said: “This garden is being created entirely through volunteer and community help. The donations from Shrewsbury organisations and businesses and the help and support of Butler Landscapes have been garnered through the work of the PTFA and other community help. We are so grateful because without all this hard work and effort, schools just wouldn’t be able to create much-needed spaces like this to enrich the lives of children for generations to come.”

St Georges Headteacher, Kelly Lee, added: “We are incredibly grateful to the businesses, organisations and volunteers who have already supported this project. Their generosity is helping us create a wonderful outdoor space that will benefit our children for years to come, supporting their wellbeing, learning and enjoyment of nature. We would love to hear from anyone who can help us bring the final stages of this vision to life.”

The project has also received support from BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) through its GoLandscape initiative, which provides educational resources and inspiration to introduce young people to careers in landscaping and horticulture.

Businesses and volunteers needed

The full project represents approximately £80,000 of materials and labour, and the school and PTFA do not currently have sufficient funding to complete it.

The garden is therefore being delivered in phases as funding, donated materials, and volunteer support become available.

The school and PTFA are now appealing to local businesses, tradespeople, suppliers and members of the community who could contribute funding, materials, equipment, professional expertise, or volunteer time.

Support is being sought from garden centres, plant nurseries, builders' merchants, outdoor furniture suppliers, machinery hire companies, resin and tarmac specialists, and sculptors.

Businesses may also be able to support the project through community or CSR programmes, matched volunteering schemes, or sponsored donations.

The PTFA is a registered charity, and donations can be made through its fundraising page, referencing the garden in notes.

The school is also looking for volunteers to join future All-Hands Days, with people who have landscaping, horticultural, trade or practical skills particularly welcome.

Anyone who can offer funding, materials, equipment, expertise, volunteer time or useful contacts is encouraged to get in touch with the PTFA at yourptfa@gmail.com.

The school, PTFA and Butler Landscapes team are also keen to hear from anyone with experience of grant applications or who could help with the long-term maintenance and development of the garden.

The ambition is to create a space that will be enjoyed by hundreds of children across both schools for generations to come.

Find more information on Butler Landscapes.