After much delibertaion and plan amendments, a date was finally set for work to commence and with a generous offer of assistance to get the area cleared from PBS Construction we were left with a blank canvas on which we could get to work to create something rather special.
The large pond which was in one corner of the garden was decided to be reduced in size which also helped with the overall quantity of material which needed to be removed from the site. As the pictures below show although the area was cleared by a considerable amount - we were still left with a large pile of weedy soil and material which needed to be physically moved to a skip which was kindly donated by Sam Allon Contracts in Hull.
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| The Area Before Work Began |
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| The Mound Left After Intial Clearing by PBS Construction |
The brief was simple - the group wanted to create something which would be beneficial for the children to use and enjoy which would contain a range of features and different areas for educational value. It was decided that the pond would be made into a quadrant shape and would be gated and fenced off for safety reasons. It was also decided that there needed to be a hard wearing - practical 'Carpet' kind of area for the children to sit on and be taught but in keeping with the garden theme. Raised Beds were also decided to be a feature within the garden to enable the school children to get hands on experience of actually growing their own plants and vegetables. Greenhouses were obtained through the equipment for schools programme from a local supermarket, and a planted area was also decided needed to be present.
Through consultation with the project co-ordinators - Sam Harrod and Debbie Straker, the various businesses and organisations all put in their own area of expertise and we at Unreal Gardens were tasked with creating the teaching area and the pathway leading to the various parts of the Garden Classroom.
The whole project relied upon the support and assistance of volunteers and donations of materials and services to complete the tasks at hand. A full list of these volunteers and organisations involved can also be seen below.
More pictures of the project taking shape.
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| The first task was to level the area for the artificial grass base |
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| Volunteers - Mick Stobart & Bob Allen getting stuck in |
With the subsoil levelled it was then time to add the edging to mark out the perimeter of the Teaching Area. We chose to use Rite Edge Aluminium Landscape Edging for all the edges within the garden due to its low maintenance and long lasting properties as well as its flexibility and versatility.
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| Rite Edge temporarily in place |
Next came the weed suppressant membrane and sub base balancing layer followed by the sand base material
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| Membrane in sand being delivered by Mr Bob Allen over the precisely built bridge |
With the sand base prepared and compacted it was then time to fit the top quality Sensation Artificial Grass from Tiger Turf. The total area to be covered with grass was 60sqm and in the middle of this area was a raised manhole cover. We cut out this shape and loosely laid the grass to cover so as to enable easy access to the drain beneath.
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| Artificial Grass Loosely laid |
Once the grass was down we then began to mark out the pathways. The raised Beds had already been built and placed level, The spoil heap had all but been removed and levelled into the surrounding area so all that remained once the pathway had been marked out was to remove the material, fit the path edging, lay more weed suppressant membrane, and then lay the recycled Ecoscape Rubber Mulch pathway suarfacing material.
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| Pathway Edging Fitted |
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| Pathway Membrane In Place |
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| Rubber Surfacing Being Laid |
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| Pathway Complete - Stakes Ready To Come Out |
With the whole area more or less completed all that remains is for the planting to be carried out ready for the grand unveiling.
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Being part of this whole project and creating something for all to enjoy was a great pleasure and we would like to express our thanks and gratitude to the PTA Group of Anlaby Primary School for inviting Unreal Gardens to take part in in such a fantastic transformation.
Organisations involved:
Kingston Communications - £500.00 Grant Awarded
PBS Construction - Donated a mini digger and dumper for the day
MKM Builders Merchants, Hull - Donated 5 Tonnes Sand & 7 Tonnes Gravel
Keyline - Donated 2 Tonnes Limestone
Sam Allon - Donated 12 Yard Skip
Humberside Plant Hire - Donated Vibrator Plate For Hire
Travis Perkins - Donated an assortment of Timber
Swanland Nurseries - Donated an assortment of plants
Allendale Nurseries - Donated an assortment of plants
Unreal Solutions Ltd - Installation Services
CSR4U - Provided 3 volunteers over 2 days
The Volunteers:
Sam Harrod (With Children Amelia and Isabel)
Debbie Straker (With Children Ethan & Travis)
Claudia Nicolini (With Children James & Thomas Hutchinson)
Paul Dervey (With Children Dillon & Millie)
Camille Johnson & Daisy
Julia Omond (With Joshua & Sophie)
Calvin & Vanessa Peters & Children
Jane Byes & Children
Karen
Chris Bibby, Connor, Lewis and Jamie Lees
Michael Stobart (with Unreal Gardens)
Bob Allen (with Unreal Gardens)
Rick, Wendy & Amy (Courtesy of CSR4U)
School Staff Volunteers:
Gordon Bradshaw (Caretaker)
Mrs Power (Deputy Head)
Sarah Richards & Daughter
Mrs Woodmansey
Jaquie Overfield & Son
There are no doubt others we have omitted though we assure you not deliberately. Everyone over the summer school holidays played their part in making the whole project happen and we at Unreal Solutions Ltd were privileged to have had the opportunity to work alongside what were an amazing group of people - Thank you and congratulations to each and every one of you.
