Pupils see scope for more space
Winchester Rural School pupils have offered to clean up next door to create additional learning space and a picnic site.
Some of the school’s 156 pupils have offered to spend their time enhancing the area, a former tennis court and its surrounds, at the Winchester Domain.
School council representatives, comprising senior pupils, were looking for a community project and saw cleaning up the land, managed by the Timaru District Council, as a way to make a difference and benefit the community, Winchester Rural School principal Tre Sylvawood said.
She said work would start as soon as approval was received and have the knock-on effect of benefiting the school and making a positive impact on the community.
Sylvawood envisaged a 30 to 50-metre mowed grass pathway from the school to the tennis courts.
‘‘It would be good as a play area and for picnics,’’ she said.
School pupils have strategic goals which include establishing community partnerships by getting involved in local initiatives such as this project, she said.
Neighbour of 30 years, Lex Cooper, thought it would be a great idea for the area to be used as he had not seen anyone at the tennis courts for years.
‘‘It’s just sitting there – it would be brilliant,’’ he said.
He said in the domain there were sheep wandering about but he thought it would be preferable to have children running around instead.
Timaru District Council spokesperson Stephen Doran said the council had no record of any email requests for enhancement approval, though the school said it had sent one two weeks ago, and had followed up with a phone call on Tuesday morning.
He said someone would make contact with the school in response to the phone call.