From the Quantock AONB Service
May 2007
Crowcombe and Stogumber First Schools students now have the opportunity to experience the environment in their own playgrounds thanks to funding from the Quantock Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund. The funding along with support from teacher’s, parents and Wibble Farm Nurseries has created two sensory gardens at the schools.
These gardens use smell, touch and sound as well as visual stimulus to engage students. By using plants which can be found on the nearby Quantock Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) the students will learn about the fragile environments neighbouring their schools.
Anthea Deane, headteacher, said “outdoor learning is very important for our students and we regularly visit the Quantock Hills. By creating these gardens we have been able to give our students the opportunity to experience the environment of the Quantock Hills within their own schools and through different mediums”.
The gardens will form an integral part of the schools outdoor classroom initiative and is a example of the best practice recently identified by Government in respect of lifelong learning.
The Quantock Hills Sustainable Development Fund is provided by Natural England. The fund can give grants to businesses, individuals or community groups where their project will benefit the Quantock Hills area and is in keeping with the Quantock Hills AONB Service Management Plan.
The Quantock Hills AONB Service is supported and funded by Somerset County Council, The Countryside Agency, Sedgemoor District Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council and West Somerset District Council.
