A weeks progress... A local primary school has teamed up with a Glasgow based candle company to create a unique wildlife friendly garden on the factory grounds. Shearer Candles, the UK’s leading manufacturer of lifestyle candles, asked a local voluntary gardening group based at Elder Farm, Govan, to build a bee and bird garden in the unused space at the back of its factory. Local primary school, St Saviour’s, were invited to take part in the project by growing seed and helping to design a garden using a template from an aerial view of the site taken from Google Maps as a guide.
Elder Farm is a community garden on a site gifted to the people of Govan, along with Elderpark, as a recreational educational space. The volunteers, many of whom are long term unemployed, work in the gardens to provide free food and a pleasant environment for the community. This week, pupils and Elder Farm volunteers arrived at the factory to begin work on the garden using a combination of pupil design ideas for inspiration. Around 22 children took part in building the garden which aims to provide pollen and nectar rich plants for the hungry bees.
Stephanie Barnet, Marketing Executive, Shearer Candles said: “We are always looking into ways we can support local groups as we are very proud of our Glasgow, and in particular, Govan roots. This project not only allows us to support and promote the great work Elder Farm do, but also to encourage the local schools to get involved in nature and community work like this. We are also keen to improve the look of our industrial estate which is already a little haven for bees and birds. This new garden will mean we will offer the wildlife somewhere safe and inviting to stay, which will hopefully encourage more to visit us!” Moira Bori, a voluntary worker at Elder Farm added: “When we were approached by Shearer Candles we were delighted to take part. The garden at the back of the factory is already bee friendly as nature has been doing her part admirably. We were delighted to work with Shearer Candles and the local school to try and improve on that. The young students are helping us to put together a low maintenance garden that will help the bees and hopefully inspire more people in the area to consider creating a garden, however small.” Pupils will work on the garden as often as they can before the school holidays set in with results beginning to show when they return for the new term in August. Mary Rice, Headteacher, St Saviour’s primary school said: “We were delighted to submit our designs of how the area will look once all the flowers have grown. When we pass by, we will know that we helped make a part of Govan lovely for the community to enjoy. Govan has a rich history and we are proud to be part of its future by highlighting our pupils’ creative talents and showcasing their commitment to the community.”
Kind Regards
Stephanie Barnet Marketing Executive Shearer Candles
