Students, Staff, Parents and Governors, as well as representatives of a number of local companies came together on Friday 12th July to open a new fruit cage building at Poole Grammar School. The project, led by Poole Grammar student Adam Hinks, was funded using money obtained from the Borough of Poole’s Green Initiatives scheme, which was set aside as part of their new Garden Waste Collection Service. The Project was formally opened by the Mayor of Poole, Councillor Philip Eades.
Adam Hinks said of the project, “At Poole Grammar we have an active Food for Life Committee and the School has already managed to achieve a Silver Accreditation, it was through this that I heard about the Borough of Poole’s Green Initiative Scheme. A working group was formed which drafted the application to Poole Council and £1800 was subsequently granted, this money has been spent on equipment, such as the Fruit Cage structure, Raised Beds, Water Butts and Irrigation System and a 625 Litre Compost Tumbler. These were supplied Harrod Horticultural. We were also lucky enough to be supported by a number of local companies, including Dorset Soils and Aggregates, who kindly donated eight tonnes of topsoil, Waitrose Wimborne, who provided expertise and supplied drinks for our opening event and Crispin Creatives, a local gardening company.
Poole Grammar’s Fruit Cage project has the primary objective of reducing wastage presented to the Borough of Poole as landfill. It aims to achieve this by composting waste from the school canteen, which will then be used on within the fruit cage and other growing areas. It is also hoped that the project will have the additional benefit of inspiring a positive food culture within the School, something which the School Chef, Chris Watson, has worked hard to achieve since taking over at the school. His hard work in transforming the school menu has been recognised by national awards and he commented on the project, “hopefully this will enable us to use more food in the school canteen which has been grown on site, a requirement if we want to progress on to achieving a Food for Life Gold Award.”
At the opening, with special guests from Harrod Horticultural, Waitrose, Dorset Wildlife Trust and Food for Life present, Deputy Head Andy Baker highlighted what the project and support of local companies, as well as funding from the Borough of Poole would mean to the school. The Mayor of Poole spoke about how pleased he was to see such an innovative community project which utilised space which may not have otherwise been used effectively. Michael Tomlinson, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole also said “I believe that this project really highlights how a group of dedicated people from the local community can work together and achieve something which has a lasting benefit for the School and its Pupils, I congratulate them on their achievements.”
The event was concluded with drinks and the opportunity to sample some of the schools current produce, which included a delightful rhubarb jam.