Teamwork makes the dream work for college garden project

Students and staff at Derby College Group have come together to develop the latest green space at one of it sites.

For six months, a cross-college collaborative project took place to improve the existing Urban Garden on the outdoor terrace at the Joseph Wright Centre, in Derby.

The green spaces are where students and staff can gather, interact, and build a sense of community.

They offer a relaxed environment for socialising, outside of the classroom or office.

In 2018, Rachael Nicholls, student experience and pastoral coordinator, along with staff from the Joseph Wright Centre, began developing the garden voluntarily.

Due to the number of staff and students using the existing garden, they decided to push ahead with this latest project

A key aim of the development was for as many students as possible to be involved.

With the support and help of Darren Cotteril, workshop instructor for carpentry and joinery, the Level 1 joinery students created wooden planters out of recycled timber.

These planters were then painted by a team of painting and decorating students and staff.

Mark Ekin, land-based curriculum manager, along with his team of mature horticultural students, helped the garden come to life by cultivating an array of flowers and plants, grown at the college’s plant centre at its Broomfield Hall site.

And with assistance from Pete Boulton-Lear, teacher of engineering and Colin Phillips, engineering curriculum support assistant, a steelwork frame was created for the planters.

The project was completed as part of the college’s Green Skills Bootcamp course, which aims to encourage adults aged 19-plus to learn new skills and prepare for employment in the green sector.

Mollie Cox, the college’s environmental and sustainability officer, said: “It was such a team effort to build the garden.

“I would like to extend a massive ‘thank you’ to all involved, for their time and effort and all the hours they have spent after the working day to ensure it was completed on time, and for allowing their students to be a part of this collaboration.

“Collectively, the team have created a wonderful space for everyone to enjoy.”