A SENSORY garden has “greatly benefited” Reading school pupils, a headteacher has said.
Redlands Primary School, on Lydford Road, started a fundraising campaign to create a new outdoor spare for its students to enjoy.
After setting up a Go Fund Me page, organisers The Redlands Rockets raised over £7,100 for the playground.
And the group will also be taking part in the Reading Half Marathon to continue raising even more for the school.
The aim of the sensory garden is to turn the tarmac playground into a green space to bring more widlife to the community.
And pupils will have more opportunities to engage with outdoor learning.
“At Redlands Primary school, our playground was looking a bit grey, sparse and dull although our children were always bringing in the colour with their bright smiles and their colourful outfits,” headteacher Shabana Aslam said.
“However, thanks to the fabulous community of hard-working volunteers, the playground was transformed into an amazing space that is inviting, green and vibrant.
“The children were particularly impressed on their return back to school to see what lovely changes had been made to the school environment; so much so that you could hear them talking with excitement about how beautiful the playground was looking and they could not wait to get into school.”
The grant organisations that awarded the school funds include Berkshire Community Foundation, Thames Water, The Friends of the University of Reading and Trees for Reading.
Mrs Aslam added the space has “greatly benefited” the children.
“It’s made a difference to not only the start and end of the days but playtime and lunchtimes,” she said.
“I often see the children sitting on the benches and talking about the changes at their playtimes and admiring the beautiful flowers and trees.”
Mrs Aslam thanked the Redlands Primary School team and everyone involved in creating the sensory garden.
To donate, log on to: gofundme.com/f/redlands
