Grant helps school grow outdoor learning space

A Stockton primary school has expanded its outdoor learning space after securing further funding from a community fund linked to a nearby wind farm.

William Cassidi C of E Primary School in Stillington has received a £2100 grant from the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community benefits fund to improve access to its school garden, allowing pupils to use the space safely throughout the year.

The latest funding has paid for a new bark surface around the garden’s raised beds and a stepping stone path connecting the area to the school's playground.

Local contractor Early Bird Gardening Maintenance carried out the work.

It builds on a previous £4235 grant awarded two years ago, which transformed a fenced-off section of the school grounds into a garden where pupils now grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.

That project also funded wooden seating, storage facilities and gardening equipment, while children created bug hotels and bird boxes to encourage wildlife and support biodiversity.

Marie Goncalves, parent governor at William Cassidi C of E Primary School, said: “The children absolutely love being outside working in the garden or taking other lessons in the open air, while our gardening club is helping us build really strong links with the wider community.

“They were very closely involved with creating the garden, highlighting the resources they wanted to see included and building some of these items themselves, and are responsible for planting, growing and looking after lots of different types of produce, which gives them a fantastic opportunity to see for themselves how the growing process goes from start to finish. 

“We’ve accessed the garden via the grass up to now, and with conditions underfoot naturally getting very wet and slippery in the colder months on what was an increasingly worn surface, there’ve been times where it’s not been safe for the children to use it.

“While we knew that it needed doing, this project would have stayed out of our financial reach if we’d not been able to access this latest grant from the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community benefits fund.

“As well as now being much safer for everyone to use, the bark area is also environmentally friendly and will last for a long time, and it’ll be great for the whole school community to have the chance to make year-round use of this brilliant outdoor space.”

The garden is now used for lessons across a range of subjects, with a dedicated reading area included after being requested by pupils.

Families also use the space before and after the school day, while children attending the school’s nursery and pre-school regularly take part in activities there.

The project has also attracted wider community support, with local residents donating gardening tools and volunteers helping members of the school’s gardening club maintain the space.

The latest award marks the third grant William Cassidi C of E Primary School has received from the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community benefits fund.

In 2019, the school secured £3000 to create a safer waiting area for families alongside the busy road outside the school.

Owned by independent renewable energy producer ERG and managed by OnPath Energy, the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community benefits fund provides around £12,000 each year to support local projects and community initiatives.

Melissa Falconer, head of business development UK at ERG, added: “In acquiring the Lambs Hill Wind Farm, ERG has embraced the responsibility of upholding all commitments to ensure that the site remains both a producer of clean energy and a trusted ‘Good Neighbour’ to the local community. 

“This means more than just providing support; it is about genuine alignment of values. 

“For the group, being part of this landscape means looking after it: from the new pathways at William Cassidi School to caring for the wider environment.

“ERG views the Wind Farm not just as an infrastructure, but as a ‘shared asset’ held between the company and the community; a collaborative resource designed to foster a sustainable future where clean energy production and the preservation of rural heritage go hand in hand.”

Tom Chaplin, partnerships and community manager at Sudnerland-headquartered OnPath Energy, added: “The Lambs Hill Wind Farm Fund community benefits fund was designed to deliver tangible community value for local people, and it’s great to see how the school has been able to benefit from it over the years.

“The different learning opportunities that the garden offers make it a fantastic facility for the William Cassidi children to use and we hope they’ll now be getting out in the open air even more often.”

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