Carolin and Natasha from Cumbria in Bloom visited school today to deliver some blooming good news! We are absolutely thrilled that Ms Booker and her eager Open Spaces Team have been awarded a Gold Medal and named Winner in the Secondary School category at this year’s Cumbria in Bloom Awards.
The judges awarded 97 marks from a possible 100 and comments from the judges included:
“The amount of time, knowledge and dedication that this school garden demonstrates and the value of it to the enthusiastic and well-informed pupils we met leaves little to be improved upon.”
It’s wonderful to see the team’s hard work in our Open Spaces grounds recognised in this way. What Ms Booker, our Open Spaces Lead, provides for our students is truly special. Alongside cultivating an abundance of fruit, vegetables, and flowers, she and her team care for some much-loved animals — including rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, and poultry — which are a major highlight for students.
Members of the Open Spaces Club and our Year 8 and 9 Agriculture students benefit enormously from this unique provision, learning about environmental matters as well as horticulture and animal care. Essential elements such as teamwork, responsibility, and resourcefulness go hand in hand with these experiences, bringing with them a wonderfully positive impact on students’ wellbeing.
Ms Booker said: “I am thrilled and proud in the same breath of the incredible support from the pupils. I am certain that they deserve this prestigious award – it vindicates the hours that I give willingly to this most treasured aspect of my school life.”
