Alec Reed Primary School in Northolt is one of two schools in the country to be the recipient of a special garden created for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 which runs from 22 May 2023 to 27 May 2023.
The charity School Food Matters, along with garden designer Harry Holding, selected Alec Reed Primary School along with The Beacon Church of England Primary School in Liverpool to recieve the specially created garden which will be relocated to both schools once the famous garden show finishes.
The School Food Matters Garden, funded by Project Giving Back, highlights and celebrates the importance of children’s access to nature.
Now in its 15th year, School Food Matters provides food education programmes to schoolchildren and invited their partner schools to apply for the RHS Chelsea garden. Alec Reed Primary and The Beacon were selected for the impact the garden will have on their school community and how to incorporate the garden into the schools’ grounds to be accessible to all.
Alec Reed Primary School headteacher Ann Franklin said: “To hear we have won this competition for the School Food Matters Chelsea Garden for our school and community is wonderful, overwhelming and almost more than we can believe. Most of our children have very little outdoor space at home and all of our children are in need of a little extra TLC. The children will be able to find small pockets of inner silence which will allow healing and help them to feel more positive, productive and to be kind.”
Ms Franklin added: “Every class will have scheduled sessions in the garden, and they will also have group reading time there which will help them to destress and to relax. The children and community will have the opportunity to help with the garden itself, learning new skills, and how make and correct mistakes. In time this will support a growth mindset approach to life.”
Stephanie Slater, founder and chief executive, School Food Matters added: “We are delighted that the children at The Beacon and Alec Reed will be able to enjoy it for years to come. We are very grateful to Project Giving Back and to Harry Holding for this unique opportunity to showcase our vision on an international stage, and to The River Café for supporting the relocation of the garden to our two lucky schools.”
