*** Royal Horticultural Society ***

Some brand new and exciting news for you.

Huge congratulations to our Forest School Educators: Josie, Ayla and Grace.

Watermead have gained the RHS School Gardening Award.

The criteria for this level and how we met the criteria are as follows:

· to talk enthusiastically about our garden and inform others of the plants we have been growing and discuss any projects or activities we have done – our Watermead children speak to their parents about what we have been growing and tell them about how we prepared the vegetables. We then cooked soup over an open fire from the vegetables we had grown and we spoke about how we enjoyed eating it with crusty bread. Parents are shown photographs from this activity via Famly, Facebook and our website blog.

· Share our garden with others in our local community through open days and events – we hold a Summer and Winter Fayre at Watermead Nursery and this is open to our Watermead families, their friends and also the wider community. Our Forest School activities are shared with the community. For example, making willow crowns, cooking popcorn on an open fire, selling flowers and vegetables that we have grown.

· To pass on our gardening skills to others in Watermead Nursery – From babies to pre-school we grow cress, sunflowers, flowers and vegetables with our children and make flower bombs. We teach our children how they need light and water to grow.

· To offer our gardening skills to the local community to help with projects or gardening needs – a group of 12 children assisted Leicestershire County Council at Holywell Park, Kirkstone Drive, to plant a willow tree den. It was cold, it was muddy but we thoroughly enjoyed it! Do please visit our willow tree den, it has taken root and so many people in the community enjoy it.

· To use the garden as much as we can, since our garden has a future – without a doubt. Our outdoor space is something to be treasured for all.