Peasedown party grant supports Carlingcott kids’ gardening project

A popular rural school in Carlingcott has been able to run a number of exciting gardening projects for children over the summer, thanks to a generous grant.

Laurel Farm Kindergarten, which encourages children to explore outdoor play and adventure, was awarded £300 through the Peasedown Party in the Park Grant Fund. The funding was used to purchase gardening equipment, apparatus and a variety of fruit and flower seeds.

Schoolteacher Dominika Baran said: “After seeing an advert in the local newspaper appealing for applications for the Grant Fund earlier in the year we decided to apply. We’re very grateful for the funding from Party in the Park. It has meant that we’ve been able to organise more opportunities for our pupils this year. Being a small, rural school means we can provide a lot of one-to-one tuition and support that children find hugely beneficial.”

The Peasedown Party in the Park Grant Fund was set up in 2010 to support local projects and initiatives that struggle to get funding from elsewhere. Over the past 7 years, more than £10,000 has been given out to a variety of groups across Peasedown St John.

Party in the Park Chairman Nathan Hartley visited Laurel Farm during the school term, to meet staff, pupils, and to find out how the money is being spent.

He said: “When we set up Party in the Park in 2008 we decided we wanted to support the community all year round, not just on one day of the year. So, a lot of the proceeds we make after each year’s festival are reinvested back into the local community. As the festival has got bigger, we’ve been able to fund more projects. We were delighted that Laurel Farm Kindergarten applied this year. It’s inspiring to see different innovative ways in which the funding is spent.”

Next year’s Grant Fund will open in March 2018.