bloomin’ marvellous students!
College youngsters take on project to make colourful displays
COLOURFUL displays have been planted around a Moorlands community thanks to students from a local college.
During May, several pupils from Draycott Moor College near Tean, undertook a project to make the village of Draycott bloom.
In 2018 local volunteer Lee Warburton had applied to Draycott Parish Council for the Solar Array Grant which is available to anyone in the parish with an idea which will benefit members of the community.
Lee has so far made several planters and last year planted the first ones out all by himself. He still has more planters in progress for other locations.
In 2019 Draycott Moor College and Draycott in the Moors Parish Council worked together on the idea that students might like to plant out the flowers to work towards the volunteering element of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Awards.
Parish clerk of Draycott in the Moors Parish Council, Denise Wheat, said: “From the Staffordshire County Council Covid-19 Grant Fund, supported by Councillor Mark Deaville the Draycott Volunteers received £250 to help buy plants so that the students of key workers still attending college during lock-down could go ahead with the project.
“The college also helped with printing leaflets which local volunteers then distributed throughout the parish giving information about helplines and services available to isolated and vulnerable residents. The staff and students of the college offered their support to fetch shopping and prescriptions for vulnerable residents along with many more volunteers in the village who are still working hard to help their neighbours get supplies and by making phone calls to people who may be feeling lonely. “The planting is now complete and the council would like to thank the students and staff of the college for doing all the hard work, walking the length of the village to fill the planters with flowers from Draycott Nurseries. Staff from the college reported that the students had really enjoyed getting their hands dirty, learning about the plants and how to arrange them. They now look lovely to passers by as people walk past on their daily exercise.
“Several members of the community have also come forward to water the plants every day during the hot weather and the council would like to extend their thanks to these volunteers also. It has been a real team effort.”
To apply for the Solar Array Fund if anyone has any new or existing ideas for a community project, application forms can be downloaded from the Draycott in the Moors Parish Council website or please email the clerk: draycottparishcouncil@gmail.com for more information.