St Gregory's Catholic College have recently completed their Lasallian Leavening Fund project which involved answering the call to care for our common home at its heart. 

The entire project was a response to the Holy Father's challenge to place a shared responsibility for our planet at the centre of our community and do what we can, where we are. Using the school grounds St Gregory's identified plots for both strands of the project - the wildflower garden and permanent fruit and vegetable growing area as a base for horticultural therapy. Over the past eight months, the school has achieved all of the objectives for the project:

• Firstly, by creating a long term wildflower area on the front lawn of the school, benefiting local wildlife and demonstrating to the local community the importance of stewardship of creation.

• Secondly, by transforming an area of wasteland on the site into a base for Horticultural Therapy, which now produces an abundance of fruit and vegetables and leaves a lasting positive effect on experience of school for those who struggle with mainstream academic learning.

Development of the Wildflower Garden

Work on the wildflower garden began deep in winter, with students removing the turf and preparing the ground by exposing it to the elements. Once spring arrived, students planted bulbs in stages to ensure we would benefit from the area in the short term whilst looking way ahead to the patch becoming a thriving wild flower area.

As can be seen from the photos, the expertise of our horticultural therapist, alongside the work of students to cultivate and care for the area has resulted in several months of growth with the local flowers and shrubs planted.  

Wasteland into Vegetable Garden

The second element of the project was the more ambitious part, with the intention to transform a rubbish filled area of the school into a picturesque, resourceful and productive vegetable garden that would become the base for the Horticultural Therapy Group. 

At the start of the project, the identified land was strewn with broken equipment and overgrown. After clearing up, our group were then able to assess the ground and decide how best to utilise the space before making their first big purchase - a 20ft long poly tunnel.

Assembling and installing such a large heavy structure was no mean feat, but the group (along with help from others) measured out the ground, dug the trenches and built the tunnel. Once built, they were able use springtime to plant seeds then care for their growth and development in the poly tunnel all whilst continuing to work on developing the area into a vegetable garden. This included:

• Creating compost bins out of recycled pallets

• Building raised planters

• Cutting all the grass with an environmentally friendly lawn mower (manual power)

Over the ensuing months all those partaking in the Horticultural Therapy sessions began to see the great benefits to their endeavours. Even when the weather took a turn for the worst, they had a covered base to propagate and plant. The whole area
became much more than a standalone poly tunnel, saplings became plants that required tying up or netting installed, vegetables grew into harvestable assets.

By the summer term, students had grown enough produce to distribute to the food technology department where required, as well as organising a sale of produce to staff and an open garden event for parent/carers and families. A number of staff were delighted to see the fruits of the project after hearing from students about all the skills they had been learning as part of the gardening group, as well as being able to buy both ready to eat produce and saplings to grow at home in their own gardens.

The open garden event allowed the families of those who’ve benefitted from horticultural therapy to see their child’s work. So many of those who had partaken in the project over the year were brimming with pride as they took their parents to the different areas they had been involved in and explained how and what they had done.

Impact Assessment

• Mrs Bradley, Horticultural Therapist

The horticultural therapy programme has made a significant contribution to the personal development and wellbeing of our students. Through structured gardening activities, students have gained practical horticultural skills including seed sowing, plant propagation, safe tool handling skills and seasonal growing techniques.

They have also participated in larger-scale projects, such as constructing raised beds using recycled scaffold planks and building a poly tunnel from scratch. These tasks have fostered the development of key soft skills, particularly problem-solving, perseverance, resilience and physical stamina. Teamwork has strengthened the students’ sense of community and cooperation.

In addition to cultivating a productive vegetable garden, students have developed a wildflower bed to support biodiversity and engaged in growing sunflowers, which have added a vibrant visual element to the space. The garden has already yielded a range of produce, including sugar snap peas, broad beans, rocket, potatoes, strawberries, and tomatoes. Students have had the opportunity to harvest and taste their own crops, creating a tangible sense of achievement, reinforcing healthy eating habits and a deeper sense of connection to the natural world. Looking ahead, they are anticipating the harvest of pumpkins, squashes, cauliflowers, and winter cabbages in the coming months.

Beyond skill acquisition, horticultural therapy has had a noticeable positive effect on students’ emotional regulation and mental wellbeing. Many have reported finding gardening calming and enjoyable, with the process helping to reduce restlessness and promote a sense of mindfulness. The therapeutic environment has supported students in managing stress, improving focus, and increasing positive engagement with the world around them.

Horticultural therapy has not only taught valuable life skills but has also nurtured emotional growth, confidence, and a deep connection to nature—making it a vital part of our students’ development.