Caistor Yarborough Academy has been awarded £670 from the Care Plus Group Charitable Trust to fund gardening equipment and supplies to help facilitate their horticulture project for children to engage with whilst at school.
The school has a higher than average pupil premium proportion and a significant number of students with special educational needs. The gardening club is offered to any students who would benefit from emotional or behavioural support.
Gardening has been credited with promoting social relationships, improving emotional and mental wellbeing, reducing depression and anxiety, and improving cognitive and educational outcomes.
Children who engage in gardening projects also see benefits to their personal wellbeing by giving them increased enjoyment, a sense of achievement, satisfaction and pride from nurturing plants, feelings of mastery and empowerment for those who do not excel in the traditional academic setting, and improved confidence and self-esteem.
A spokesperson from Caistor Yarborough Academy, said: “Thank you so much to Care Plus Group Charitable Trust for helping to fund our gardening club. The grant will be a huge help to us in providing children with activities to benefit their health and wellbeing.
“Participation in gardening clubs enable children who find social skills and making friends a challenge to form relationship through a shared goal without the usual pressures of the playground expectations and social rules. Achieving goals allow children to become more self-confident, resilient, and independent as they see their hard work materialise, especially when they can enjoy the food they have grown, as we will be using our homegrown produce in our home economics/cooking classes.
“Your support has provided the funding necessary to allow this extracurricular activity to continue. Gardening as a social activity has huge benefits for the health and wellbeing of our children and we’re excited to see them grow and develop!”
Susan Youle, Trustee of Care Plus Group Charitable Trust, said: “As a charity we exist to support individuals or groups with funds or equipment that will benefit the health and wellbeing of community members across Lincolnshire. The extracurricular gardening club at Caistor Yarborough Academy is a wonderful example of how children can engage in worthwhile projects that will not only benefit their health and wellbeing, but also the environment as well.”
Since its inception, the Care Plus Group Charitable Trust has provided more than £93,000 to over 90 community projects across North East Lincolnshire.
Explore how the Charitable Trust could support your health and wellbeing project to improve the lives of others across Lincolnshire at https://www.cpgcharitabletrust.org/who-we-support