National Children’s Gardening Week launches country-wide this Spring Bank Holiday May 28th May to 5th June 2016.
The week is the brainwave of Neil Grant, Managing director of Ferndale Garden Centre near Coal Aston and BBC Radio Sheffield’s gardening expert.
After ‘sowing the seeds’ of his concept to colleagues in the garden industry during 2015, they germinated into National Children's Gardening Week, for which Neil was named Guardian Small Business Leader of the Year by a judging panel including Dragon’s Den TV investor James Caan and national public vote last summer for this innovative concept.
“Children love growing plants, they love being the garden but they can be impatient growers, wanting to see instant results,” smiles Neil. “National Children's Gardening Week aims to capture children’s enthusiasm at a time when results are almost immediate. National Children’s Gardening Week will take place annually in the 'warm' half term at the end of May. This means that pretty much throughout the UK, children can plant all the popular plants with little fear of weather damage or the need for complicated protective growing.”
Neil is also the members’ representative for the National Horticultural Trades Association and sits on both the retail board and national council- a great opportunity to support the industry which employs around 350,000 people and influence the direction it takes. “Last year we didn’t even ask centres to register,” he explained. “A ‘soft launch’ allowed over 30 garden centres to have a go and learn what children and their companion adults responded to best. Garden centres learned they simply needed to put on events and activities during the week that children could take an active part in and take the results or ideas home.
Garden centres can share their activities via the National Children’s Gardening week Facebook page and link up with others at www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk “
And in a cut-throat supermarket-fighting and highly seasonal industry- it works. “Last year, one garden centre alone hosted over 6000 children during the week, leading to record sales in their restaurant- a Princess theme was particularly popular with girls, they told us, so we can share that experience to everyone’s benefit. Others successfully adopted National Children’s Gardening week as a focus for their existing children’s club.
Our own centre at Ferndale had over 500 children through with top quality entertainers like talented children’s vegetable puppeteer Madame Zucchini, daily growing projects and competitions throughout the week.”
And what about the direct benefit to children? “From all the reports I have seen by scientists, research has shown that gardening improves academic achievement across all abilities,” enthuses Neil. “After taking part in gardening activities, children show improved self-esteem and ability to work in groups. They show higher levels of creative play, increased inquisitiveness and classroom motivation, better concentration, communication and problem solving skills.
And as our children face the highest ever levels of obesity, the great news for health is that children growing produce are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables, show greater levels of knowledge about nutrition, and are more likely to continue healthy eating habits throughout their lives. Children also show increased pro-environmental attitudes, which are more likely to be carried through to adulthood.”
Neil is also quick to point out the initiative is absolutely free to garden centres. “We are simply trying to get a whole new generation of children out having fun and growing things instead of watching screens indoors.
We want garden centres to encourage young gardeners in a way that suits their business style and market. The only co-ordination we’d like is to use the logo to make it recognisable as we grow the idea, easily downloadable from the National Children’s Gardening Week Facebook page or website. After that, it all the centre’s own project,” emphasised Neil.
“We know this Spring Bank week is always a busy one for garden centres- but that’s also one of the advantages. Gardening is proving to have many benefits to our lives and if we can encourage gardening and growing at a young age, then the health benefits could become part of a healthy life. A recent Essex University study showed just five minutes' "green exercise" can produce rapid improvements in mental wellbeing and self-esteem, with the greatest benefits experienced by the young. And for children gardening’s simply good fun when their results are achieved quickly!”
Neil Grant 07831 382478, 01246 412763 Ferndale Garden Centre neil@ferndalegardencentre.co.uk
Resources and ideas from the National Children’s Gardening Week Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/nationalchildren’sgardeningweek or www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk
