Peaceful green

21 September 2021

3 Min Read

21 September 2021

Devonshire Hill Nursery and Primary School pupils win green space project competition
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Year 2 winners, Sapphire Class Credit: Hayley Dix

Devonshire Hill School pupils win green space project competition

In early July, Devonshire Hill Nursery and Primary School in Weir Hall Road, N17, were invited to participate in a competition by The Mall shopping centre, Wood Green.

Children were asked to choose a name for the most recent green space project – a roof garden, that had been installed in The Mall.

The Mall shopping centre has been working alongside Grow N22, a community organisation that transforms disused and neglected gardens and spaces, to create a ‘green corridor’ for bugs, birds, bees and butterflies to enjoy along Wood Green High Road.

The nursery and primary aged children, aged 2–11 years-old, were inspired by images of the roof garden, and regular updates of its development, including some very exciting aerial pictures captured by a drone!

We submitted a total of ten potential names for the competition. Year 2 Sapphire Class were chosen as the winners with their submission ‘Peaceful Green’.

Class teacher Caleen Davis-Moore said: “The children wanted to acknowledge the roof garden as a space for wildlife to be safe and at peace, away from the busy flow of people and traffic.”

The Mall’s marketing manager, Catriona Baillie, organised the competition and expressed why they chose the winning name, stating: “The team loved that it evoked the idea that the garden is an oasis of calm for wildlife on the busy High Road.”

Year 3 Coral Class were selected as runners up with their suggestion of ‘The Bugs are Coming Home’. Both names will be incorporated on to a sign alongside the new roof garden which will explain the project to visitors.

The children were very excited to learn that their efforts will represent such an important cause. They showed great curiosity in visiting the newly named Peaceful Green, which can be seen through the window from the bridge on the upper mall.

The generous competition prize of £200 will be spent on an eco-project within the school. After careful discussion, both classes decided together that they would like to create an environment especially for frogs, newts and fish. This will be a great addition to our wonderful ‘March Wood’ forest school which is within the school grounds.

A pond will provide a slightly different ecosystem for the children to experience which is so valuable for developing interest and passion for nature, as well as understanding and confidence to care for the environment.

All updates regarding the progress of creating the nature pond will be shared on the school’s Twitter page: @DevonshireHill.

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