Lovell digs in to help create an edible garden at York Primary School

The previous vegetable garden had fallen into disrepair during the pandemic, and no one was on site to maintain it. The project was brought to the attention of Lovell through Clarion Housing Group, which Lovell is currently building on behalf of in the local area, close to the school. The school has since removed the rotted timber, leaving a few mounds of rhubarb, but the area largely remained an eyesore. Recently, with a significant influx of pupils, including children fleeing the war in Ukraine and residing in a nearby refugee hotel, the school saw an opportunity to revitalise this space and create an outdoor life-learning area.

Lovell volunteers were joined by volunteers from Clarion Housing, Henry Boot, Deans Landscapers and Deans Groundworks who donated machinery and materials to support the project. The volunteers worked diligently to transform a portion of the school’s grounds into a vibrant and productive garden.

The edible garden will feature a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities about gardening and nutrition. The garden will also serve as a resource for the school, offering fresh produce to students and promoting healthy lifestyles.

In addition, the team also designed and built wooden planters for the garden, these planters were designed to be functional and visually appealing, ensuring the garden is both productive and a beautiful addition to the school’s landscape. The planters provide an ideal growing environment for a wide array of plants, enhancing the educational experience with easy-to-maintain, accessible gardening spaces for the students. They were also able to tap into their merchant network to supply the garden with topsoil and bark to place around the planters.

Robert Adams, Regional Managing Director at Lovell, explained:

“We are incredibly proud to partner with St Georges on this exciting project. The edible garden not only adds some lovely greenery to the school grounds, but it will also provide a unique educational resource that promotes healthy living and environmental responsibility for the students.”

St Georges RC Primary School is close to the Cocoa Gardens development, which Lovell has been appointed by Clarion Housing Group to build. Lovell prides itself on being a partnership housing expert and a leading provider of innovative residential construction and regeneration developments. Over the last 50 years, they have forged relationships all over the country, driven to provide affordable housing for those who need it.

This initiative is a testament to the developer's ongoing commitment to the local communities they develop in.