President Gemma Kiddy and Jasbir Mann, headteacher at Falcons Primary School, having fun while working on the Peace Garden
About 20 volunteers started work on the new Peace Garden being developed by the Rotary Club of Leicester Novus at Falcons, the Sikh-ethos Primary School in Gipsy Lane, Leicester, whose headteacher Jasbir Mann is a member of the club. She is pictured with President Gemma Kiddy filling a wheelbarrow with weeds.
Elsewhere, three other club members were joined by John Niblett, a member of our partner club Oadby Launde, and by parents and staff who followed the design of Matthew Herbert, of Grow Wild, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. After three hours the site had been transformed. Weeds had disappeared and been replaced by grass seeds. Rough ground had the beginnings of a smooth pathway leading to what will become a water feature, with bench seats and a trellis almost complete.
Several more sessions will be required before the £2,000 project will be completed in the autumn of 2017 when trees and plants will be installed.
The club’s aim is to provide a garden of peace where students, staff and visitors can sit and reflect in an area of tranquility set aside from noise from traffic and other people. A feature of the garden will be a Rotary Peace Pole (pictured left) with eight translations of the word ‘peace’.
Peace is one of the global aims of the Rotary movement, which was created in 1905 and which now has more than a million members in more than 32,000 clubs across every continent on Earth. Some of the money for the garden was granted from donations to The Rotary Foundation — the biggest private charity in the world.
Gemma and Jasbir agreed that the morning’s work had been fruitful not only because of the tangible result but also because of the further development of the teamwork and partnership between the school and the club. All the volunteers had clearly enjoyed the experience of working together, even though several were reminded for several days later that they had used muscles they had forgotten they had! And all, too, agreed that the hot lunch provided by parents had been delicious.
Anyone who wishes to take part in future working parties on a Saturday morning in the coming weeks is asked to volunteer by e-mailing the Rotary Club of Leicester Novus or by visiting the website of the school
Matthew’s marks for new path
Pile-driving
That’s the way to do it!
Laying the membrane to keep the new path weed-free
Everything stops for a delicious hot lunch
Now it’s time for the bench
The trellis is almost up
Weeding ready for the new lawn
Digging in
Project manager Matthew Herbert explains the next task to John Niblett and others
It’s thumbs-up from President Gemma
Update 08/04/2017 6.30pm: Matthew and Keith have generously agreed to superivse the second session on the morning of Saturday, April 29. Please e-mail the school or the Rotary Club to offer help.
