Volunteers transform a corner of the grounds as a green space away from home for active youngsters
CHILDREN can now use new garden facilities at Grange Pavilion including a sit-in play train, sensory wall and chill-out area.
The project, funded by Deloitte LLP in partnership with The National Youth Advocacy Service and Splash Projects, is the second part of a three- phase plan for the garden.
“The vision is that it is a garden away from home, there’s a lot of houses and organisations that don’t have any gardens or green space at all so we wanted to create something that was open and equal for everyone,” said Sophey Mills, centre manager of Grange Pavilion.
A team of 48 people from Deloitte LLP worked on phase two of the Grangetown project which was launched on October 27 and introduced a sit-in train, nature trail, sensory wall and chill-out area.
The final phase of the project, which will be launched soon, will focus on teaching children how to use the newly-added features through a variety of workshops.
“We’ve got forest school workshops, spray painting workshops, storytelling workshops and play workers are going to come in and work with the play shack and show the kids how to utilise the stuff,” said Sophey Mills.
The new garden, which has been named Harmony Corner, was first created with the help of EggSeeds and Home Education Wales, as many of the children in the area were feeling excluded in Grange Gardens and struggled with boredom.
“Our strawberries were going missing, our cucumbers were being pulled up and we were losing a lot of produce because the kids were bored,” said Ms Mills.
Toddler science group, Spark Lab Cymru, which uses the garden at the Pavilion, says that the makeover has added important new features that will benefit their sessions.
“Wherever possible we will use the garden space to enhance our session and to mix it up, but it’s such a great space to get the children learning outside,” said Rhian Booth, science educator at Spark Lab Cymru.
- If you would like to get involved with any of the projects at the pavilion, or have an idea for a new one, you can contact them at: admin@grangepavilion.wales
