RESIDENTS in Danderhall have welcomed a £1,000 donation from Stewart Milne Homes, which has been used to create allotment space, flowering gardens and wildlife habitats.
The funding for Danderhall Primary School has been used to support community-wide initiatives, implemented in partnership with local gardening club, Danderhall & District Guerrilla Gardeners.
The group is working with the school to take groups of pupils outdoors each week to encourage them to get green fingered and engage them in protecting nature and the environment.
This month primary five pupils are planting a variety of fruit trees and making planters from recyclable pallet wood in allotment space that was previously unused land before the gardening team began the transformation.
The Stewart Milne Homes donation has been used to buy starter gardening packs including gloves, trowels and forks, pots, hyacinth bulbs and compost, craft materials, and litter grabbers. It has also gone towards the purchase of wildlife habitats including hedgehog homes and bird boxes.
Stewart Milne Homes also provided hi-vis jackets for the pupils to wear when they are out and about in the village.
As the housebuilder progresses the development of its new Shawfair community, a collection of three, four, five and six-bedroom homes on the edge of The Wisp and the village of Danderhall that will create 115 homes for the growing neighbourhood, the firm said it plans to continue to support the school and work with local community groups on a range of initiatives.
Kevin Moreland, marketing manager at Stewart Milne Homes, said, “The level of work undertaken across Danderhall by the Guerrilla Gardeners and youngsters is fantastic, and it is clearly creating a positive impact for the multigenerational local community. Stewart Milne Homes is committed to supporting the communities where we build in and we are very proud to support the school with funding to enable a range of outdoor initiatives, which are integral to creating thriving neighbourhoods.”
David Halliday, principal teacher at Danderhall Primary School, added, “Encouraging and capitalising on the opportunity to experience learning and new challenges in the outdoor environment is integral to our curriculum, and the funding from Stewart Milne Homes is a brilliant boost to the opportunities that we can offer our pupils. The hi-vis vests will be used year-round as we encourage our pupils to get out of the classroom and allow themselves to experience new hobbies, such as gardening, as much as possible.”
