Greening a school playground in Catford, SE6

Transforming neglected space to give the kids somewhere green to play

We had the privilege of being appointed as groundwork contractors at Torridon Infants School, which included preparing the ground and planting mixed native hedge whips along with laurels and climbers around the perimeter of the playground area.

One of the objectives was to involve the children in the planting process so as to instil an appreciation of our ecology and biodiversity that plant life and soil mediums can hold. We had to gun/dig out a large strip of concrete and tarmac and to grind out a number of large conifer stumps along the perimeter in which to introduce top-soil and plant material.

It was a delight to work with the volunteers preparing and organising each class to have a moment at digging holes and planting the whips. It was well organised with a few comments made as to the importance of this project.

It was a very worthwhile endeavour in which I believe an environmental legacy has been left for future generations to appreciate and benefit from. I would highly recommend projects like this can be used as a template for other city schools to mitigate against pollution and the encouragement of biodiversity within urban environments.

After the project our very own Angelo went to do a demonstration with the kids to pass on knowledge about the processes involved and the benefits of spending time in nature.