Students help transform nursery garden

The team worked diligently to plan, fundraise and carry out the project, which involved renovations of the garden at the Sussex Community Development Association Denton Island nursery.The garden at the Outstanding rated (Ofsted) nursery remained a fantastic space for children to enjoy but needed updating and a bright new look. Nursery staff met with students and asked them to inject colour into the garden and create activity boards for the children to play with. Cara Bentham, assistant team leader of The Prince’s Trust in Lewes, said: “During the early stage, the students rigorously planned the project, choosing the materials they would use, how and when things should be done, and allocating jobs to members of the team.” The week prior to carrying out the project was spent raising money to pay for the materials. The team engaged in a number of fundraising activities including two cake sales, grocery packing at the local Tesco, a sponsored read to the children at SCDA Nursery, and a sponsored walk from Newhaven to Seaford in fancy dress. The team raised an impressive £485.97. Over the course of the week, an enormous amount of hard work was put into building a performing stage, painting the garden fence, pulling out weeds, planting flowers, creating activity boards and making colourful and comfortable tyre seats for the children. By the end of the project, the garden had been transformed into a vibrant and fun place for the children to be. One team member said: “Overall, I think we did amazingly. I’m sure we’re all proud of everything. It looks wonderful and, although we encountered a few problems, we managed to pull through and come up with some great solutions”. Speaking of the project, another student said that it “gave them a wonderful sense of accomplishment”.