Inspire Zone

Black Country (BCCSIP)

At Market Drayton Junior School in Shropshire pupils had already identified a neglected outdoor space for development.

The project could have potentially risked becoming outcome-focused and financial constraints might have inhibited the participants’ vision. However, this project had an exemplary, tireless champion: Assistant Head Laura Finn. The creative agent, Kate Buttolph, briefly referred to the potential of additional match funding which triggered a phenomenal response. Laura and the children wrote letters to a wide number of local businesses; bombarded the local press and submitted a ream of funding applications. They succeeded in raising their budget to £13,000, and attracted volunteers from the army, fire brigade, Explorer Scouts, conservation apprentices and among parents.

Project objectives

Although it expanded in such an exciting way, the project remained true to Creative Partnerships' ethos. Landscape gardener Hannah Moore demonstrated natural talent for bringing the children's concept to fruition. After developing a versatile design with the core group, a wider range of children were involved with hands on construction: from digging to casting concrete, from sawing to painting fences and planting bamboos and tree ferns. One child was keen to tell everyone that she had, "Won star of the week for drilling".

Who was involved?

Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 at Market Drayton Junior School.

Impact

There was a palpable atmosphere of excitement within school throughout the project. For Hannah, the project provided a benchmark for how rewarding partnership working can be: "Laura has given a huge amount of her own time to the project. This has meant as a team we have been able to try and do much more complicated things... I feel like I have come in at the top of a pyramid - there was such a strong infrastructure supporting me."

Results

Laura reflected, "The children have learnt that their voice counts - they can make a positive difference to the community around them. The project has moved the school on, such a long way in such a small space of time."

One of the children concluded, "Now it’s an amazing place, but before it was done I just didn’t want to go in."