What do we do?

We work with schools, colleges and other organisations to help develop young people – giving them a chance to learn hands-on, build confidence and self-esteem, and feel positive about their future.

Our programmes and activity sessions offer gardening and horticulture, nature conservation and beekeeping, woodworking and construction, cooking and crafts.

Activities are designed to help young people:

• Learn practical skills, gain work experience, and take on leadership/ organisational roles
• Develop competencies such as working as a team, good communication, and being willing to take on and understand responsibility
• Build self-esteem, gain confidence, and feel pride in their achievements
• Feel better – both physically and mentally
• Develop friendships, form social networks and feel a part of their community.

Year 10 Work Experience

Do you like the outdoors, want to help care for a flourishing local community garden, and aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty?!
We offer Year 10 work experience placements!

Get in touch and become part of a fun and friendly team, and spend 2 weeks of summer in a beautiful community garden learning some priceless horticultural skills!

We can visit your school

Alternatively, we can visit your school to offer help and advice on developing your school grounds as an inspiring learning resource, or deliver an activity day or series of days to bring a Curriculum topic alive.
School gardening supports many government priorities, including sustainability, encouraging children to exercise regularly and healthy eating in schools.
Gardening is also on the National Curriculum as part of Food and Technology.

Research by the Royal Horticultural Society shows that gardening at school ‘improves academic achievement’:

• Gardening enhance scientific understanding, numeracy, literacy and language skills
• Builds life and employability skills
• Helps motivation and behaviour
• Improves health and wellbeing
• Growing food leads to a better understanding of nutrition and an increased consumption of fresh produce.
  

For primary schools and younger children

You can book an activity session for your class or group – please get in touch to discuss your requirements.

For high schools, colleges and older children/ young people

We can run half-termly programmes for groups of students, both at our gardens or in school grounds – to inspire young people and help move them on to the world of work.

Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Download the 5 week learning and skills programme

What do we teach?

At The People’s Community Garden:

The People’s Community Garden is a community space where people can garden together. Situated on Maidenhall Allotments, Ipswich, Suffolk, it includes traditional vegetable-growing areas, a heritage orchard, a sensory garden, a wildlife area and a herb spiral. It also has two poly-tunnels, raised beds, willow structures and a pond. Students are taught about how to maintain these areas and about how to grow plants and keep them healthy.

At our Beehives:

At the other end of the site, we run a community apiary, and maintain a nectar-rich wildflower meadow for the bees. ActivHives Community Apiary and Bee Garden This is a project to help keep bees buzzing and train up a new generation of bee keepers. Children can watch the hives being opened from the safety of the bee hide, and explore or Bee Garden, learning about nectar-rich plants, wildlife habitats, and the importance of conserving our environment. 

At the Chantry Walled Garden:

Chantry Walled Garden is situated in a historic walled garden in Chantry Park, Ipswich. Here, we run a plant nursery in the extensive glasshouses, growing for Ipswich Borough Council and other markets and independent garden centres. There are also flower borders and vegetable-growing areas to plant and maintain. Our base here is Nursery Cottage, which has a mess room and small kitchen, and upstairs rooms for IT and craft activities. The adjacent workshop has facilities for woodwork and basic construction. The wider park has a rich history to explore and opportunities to work alongside wildlife rangers.