East Worlington Primary School awarded £5,000 from Calor for new multi-functional garden

East Worlington Primary School is celebrating after being awarded a grant of £5,000 for a new school garden, as part of rural energy provider Calor’s annual funding scheme

The aim of the Calor Rural Community Fund is to give off-grid communities the chance to gain grants for projects that will improve local life. With a total fund of £50,000, this year the scheme offered funding for 21 different projects, with prize pots ranging from £1,000 up to £5,000.

East Worlington Primary is a small rural school with approximately 60 pupils, located in a village with no public transport. Therefore, the school is an important resource in the local community.

The Calor grant will be used to create a multi-functional garden that is usable all year around. The new garden will feature an outdoor classroom/seating area and a creative play area. In addition, the garden will also play host an environmental area for recycling, bug huts and raised planters for lessons and break times. There is also scope for a sensory play area for children with autism and for promoting good mental health.

Suzie Pinn, Head of East Worlington Primary School said: “Our garden is currently unusable for three months of the year due to mud and poor access. We really want to create a garden that is accessible all year round and that will truly enrich the curriculum for the children.”

“Calor’s generosity means that we can create a hub, not only for the children but for the local community too. With the school being in such an isolated area the garden would be a real credit to the school.”

Paul Blacklock, Calor’s Corporate Affairs Manager added: “As a rural energy provider, we understand that country living can be challenging and access to community facilities can be especially difficult.

“We set up the Calor Rural Community Fund to be able to give something back to these rural communities, and this year we were inundated by a number of deserving projects. We’re delighted to award East Worlington Primary School with £5,000 to help fund this project and we look forward to seeing the pupils and village residents making full use of the new multi-functional garden.

“This year’s scheme was so successful we plan to relaunch it again in 2019, so keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for updates as we hope to be funding more fantastic projects near you!”

For further information, please visit www.calor.co.uk/communityfund.