During the last couple of months Groundwork’s Motiv8 group have been involved in the creation of a Peace Garden in the schools quadrangle. Motiv8 is an alternative learning programme for young people who are at risk for exclusion from school. The pupils in this programme are from Belgrave Street and Eastbourne Comprehensive School.

Their hard work has included removing top soil to expose a concrete base, tidying up the flower beds, assembling the wooden planters and benches and planting a cherry tree.

These Motiv8 groups will also be involved in creating the schools allotment site.

Planting Seeds

On the 5th February 2008 and 12th February 2008 Groundwork started planting seeds with the allotment club that meets every Tuesday lunchtime. Previous to this the group decided which class would grow which vegetable depending on their age and suitability. Woodburn Nursery provided the plant pots and compost while the school stocked up on a variety of vegetable seeds. Each class representative then planted their seeds in their own pots and took them back to the classroom to grow. This growing experiment is very useful for the group to see how a plant grows and what the essential needs are for a plant to survive. Some classes hadn't been as successful as others as some plants were placed in dark corners and not watered regularly. The pupils even took their plants home over half term to give them the tender loving care they need. Once the allotment is built we are hoping to plant the seedlings into the ground to produce our first crop.