Guernsey’s Beaucette Marina has launched of a new community project aimed at engaging local children with nature and horticulture.
Little Seedlings is a free gardening club for 7-11 year olds which provides a completely hands-on, fun introduction to producing their own vegetables at home. There are lots of goodies for them to take home as the plants grow, including a prize for the best plant at the end of the summer. All this is provided free of charge by Grow Ltd, along with the expert tuition of Malcolm Cleal, representing Floral Guernsey, who’s aim is to promote growing in the community.
“Part of Floral Guernsey’s remit is to support learning in the local community, so this project was a great fit,” said Malcolm Cleal. His involvement with Floral Guernsey has been instrumental in aligning the project’s goals with community needs. The project has also received enthusiastic support from Grow Ltd who have kindly donated all the seedlings that the group is using.
‘’We are more than happy to support this summer project. Seeds for all the plants were sown by the Crew. Along with summer bedding seedlings, we supplied young vegetable plants including leeks, cauliflower and courgettes to help children understand where food comes from by nurturing the young plants.’ said Stuart Smale, Horticulture Manager at Grow Ltd.
“Grow Ltd have kindly donated all the plants for the project which has been absolutely amazing. Their support has been crucial in bringing the project to life, providing the resources we needed to create a thriving environment for the children to learn and grow,” said Jo Meerveld, Marketing Manager at Beaucette Marina.
The Little Seedlings Club sessions are held twice weekly on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings at Beaucette Marina. Two dedicated raised containers have been created specifically for the Little Seedlings club and are looking wonderful already. The club has been well attended and is proving very popular with green-fingered families looking for something different to do during the school holidays. Through this initiative, Beaucette Marina aims to foster a love for nature and horticulture among the youth, promoting environmental awareness and community engagement.
