Cumbria in Bloom winning schools are showing how gardening is at the heart of their curriculum – making horticulture a sustainable part of their learning.

Successful entries in Cumbria in Bloom 2023 School Garden category Dane Ghyll Primary and Pennington CofE Primary schools are using their green finger skills to generate funds to finance their agricultural learning.

Dane Ghyll Primary had a good season growing carrots, runner beans and potatoes. They sell their produce, using an honesty box by the school gate and provide ingredients for school meals for their own and other local schools.

All the funds raised go back into buying seeds for next year’s garden projects which they enter into Cumbria in Bloom.

Dane Ghyll Primary & Nursery received a Gold Award for their school garden and the Woodland Copse Schools Trophy sponsored by Mr Peter Hensman.

Headteacher of Dane Ghyll Primary school Peter Mills said: “Gardening and growing plants, especially vegetables is a big part of our curriculum. “The food the pupils grow goes into the school kitchens where they cook for our own and other local schools and community programmes.

“We have put gardening at the heart of the school and pupils are involved at every stage of the growing process.

“We have had donations such as an old patio which we have used to improve the entrance to our polytunnels, and everyone from nursery, aged 2 to 11, are involved in our allotment in the school garden. There is so much they learn for gardening.”

Head of gardening at Dane Ghyll Primary, Louise Postlethwaite said: “We were delighted to receive an award for our school garden again from Cumbria in Bloom in 2023. The school first entered the awards in 2021 and we are delighted we have won an award every year since. “Gardening is at the heart of our school and our pupils have done such wonderful work.”

Pennington CofE Primary received a Gold award for their school garden and the Rex Marsden Shield trophy.

Head teacher at Pennington CofE Helen Storey said: “We sold the produce at the school gate using an honesty box.

“We were delighted to receive The Rex Marsden Trophy for Enriching and Widening the curriculum.

“Our gardening was part of our outdoor learning programme which the whole school was involved with. Each class helped with planting, gardening, watering and weeding and helped to develop the school grounds.”

Using and selling the produce the schools use, ensures the gardening projects which are part of the school’s curriculum work is not a strain on the school budget. And every school which enters Cumbria in Bloom receives a free packet of seeds and receive a certificate.

Chair of Cumbria in Bloom Ronnie Auld said: “We are always amazed at the work the pupils in Cumbrian school produce each year. We appreciate it is a lot of hard work for them and their teachers, and they certainly reap what they have sown.

“We are delighted to see more schools discovering the benefits of a school garden and look forward to seeing their gardens in next year’s Cumbria in Bloom 2024 awards.

"Our assessors had amazing amounts of praise for the gardens they visited in the school’s category of Cumbria in Bloom 2023.

“These young people are our future gardeners, and we want to encourage them to keep on planting and growing. Gardening is a wonderful hobby and can also be a great career.”

Information and application forms for entering Cumbria in Bloom 2024 will be available in the new year from the Cumbria in Bloom website