Fenstanton and Hilton  Eco-Warriors

(the FHEW)

LATEST   February 2010

A new band of Fenstanton and Hilton Eco-Warriors has been elected and have already begun their duties.  We have a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Vice-Secretary and they will be publishing our decisions and actions on the website.  Our first task is to sort out the Eco-Garden and get it ready for planting.  Mr Ron Jacobs has donated some broad bean seeds which we will be planting soon.  The Quiet Garden is also being cleared by the children ready for some new planting.

Our Aims

• Find ways to save Energy and Water
• Look after our vegetable garden
• Refurbish the Wildlife garden
• Look after our Quiet Garden
• Creation of a Small Orchard as part of the Garden
• Develop understanding and commitment to the principles of 3R's in School - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
• Adapting the Curriculum so that Eco-concerns are included in the work we do.  Recently we had an exciting Eco-Day.  The whole school created an Eco-Code, designed a logo for the eco-warriors and researched the 3Rs.  Every child also created a new product through re-using and recycling other materials
• Involving the Local Community in the Project - governors, local businesses etc - we have been lucky to have had support from various local businesses both with products and with time from their employees. Businesses include Barclays Bank, Madingley Mulch, John Course Landscapes, Gardman plc, and Unwins Seed

What have we done so far?

• Elected a new Eco-Warriors Committee for 2008/9 and 2010/11
• Re-established our Class Eco-Code
• Made our Vegetable garden with raised beds constructed from recycled plastic windows
• Grown sunflowers, lettuces and courgettes and Mrs Turner has cooked them in the school kitchen
• Tidied up the Quiet Garden with help from Barclays staff
• Had an Eco-day
• Added Reduce, Re-use and Recycle to the Golden Rules
• Got the Bronze and Silver Eco-Awards
• Created a Logo
• Been in the local newspapers

What next?

• Year 3 and 4 Eco-warriors will make sure all our fruit and vegetable waste is composted – they will make sure the green waste is collected each day to put into the composter.
• Winter planting for the garden with help from the community
• Continue to maintain the Quiet Garden – Year 5/6 Eco-Warriors to draw up a rota
• Improve the 3Rs in school – audit – use the Class Eco-monitors to encourage energy saving, recycling etc.
• Have another Eco-Day
• Reduce energy use in school to save money and the planet

Thank you to:

Barclays Bank – They gave us a grant of £500 and also some hard labour planting and tidying up the Quiet Garden.  With the grant we were able to buy the materials to make the raised beds, a revolving composter

Madingley Mulch – They have donated a class set of hand forks and trowels and masses of mulch and compost.

John Course -  who worked with the children constructing the raised beds and also did a lot of hard digging.

Gardman Plc who donated bird boxes and bird seed

Unwins seeds have also offered to donate all our seeds for next year too

Mrs Turner for cooking our produce.

Watch this space for more news as our garden grows.

If you are interested in helping or supporting any of our projects, please contact

Mrs Drysdale:  Eco-Schools coordinator.