Recent School Gardening & Wildlife Projects 

Over the past year, we’ve been lucky to work with several local schools, bringing our love of gardening and wildlife to different learning spaces across the borough. 

Sharing what we do with young people is a key part of The Community Patch, through our publicly accessibly family sessions and in more focused work with various school groups. There is something really special about seeing children connect with nature in a practical and fun way, with real excitement for gardening, nature and the outdoors. 

This is especially important, as access to green space in the UK is rated quite low across most of the Wigan borough.  

In January, a small group from a primary school joined one of our regular community gardening sessions. Rather than running a separate activity, they joined us during our usual gardening hours and got involved in whatever was happening that day. With a group of very enthusiastic seven year olds, we sowed seeds and planted the last of the winter bulbs. It was cold, proper January weather, but that didn’t put us off at all. They were very curious, had loads of great questions, and keen to help wherever they could. 

In December, we brought our popular wreath-making workshop to a local high school. Using natural materials and locally gathered foliage, 15 students designed and made their own wreaths to take home. 

The students really got stuck into the task as they chose textures and colours they liked, worked out how to balance their designs, and tied everything together with our support. 

Each wreath turned out quite different and special, and it was lovely to see students excited to share something handmade with their families.

For another local high school, we held another natural wreath session for the lucky teaching staff, a lovely way to unwind and take time for themselves after a busy school term.

Towards the end of January, we welcomed another high school group to the community garden for a larger, more structured session focused on caring for wildlife, organised with Action for Conservation. With 28 Year 7 students, we discussed the challenges wildlife faces in Britain today and the needs of different species to survive. We looked at practical ways young people can help at home or at school, alongside the broader idea of conservation and its importance. We designed the session to balance discussion with hands-on activity, giving students space to think as well as do.

Together, in the community garden, we started building a new dead hedge, positioned a hedgehog home in a corner of the garden, and made pine-cone bird feeders to take away. We then finished by planting a seed and starting a nature record – introducing the idea of citizen science. These activities helped bring the conversation to life and showed how small actions can support wildlife.

We absolutely love working with schools and youth groups, and we are always keen to explore new ideas. If you are part of a school or organisation and are interested in gardening, wildlife, or creative nature-based sessions, we would really love to hear from you