Sustainable Drainage Project takes off at Pilgrim Academy

We have 12 new planters around the school, which have been provided by SUDS Planters.

There has been great excitement this week, as our children have started adding plants to our new sustainable drainage planters which were delivered and installed last month.

We have been asked to join this fantastic project, run through EQUANS, in conjunction with the local authority, to support the drive to prevent flooding in the Immingham area.

They are specially designed from recyclable materials to help absorb water and feed the water back into the soil to support the plant life, while at the same time, decreasing the amount of water released into the drainage system – thereby, contributing to lessening the excess water, to help reduce flood risk in the area.

Yesterday, we received delivery of our first batch of plants, supplied by Grimsby Garden Centre – after Easter, we will be sending some of our children to choose the next set of plants.

Some of the children from Dragonflies enjoyed the experience of working with the team from Equans and SUDS Planters to start planting in the soil.

They found out that those plants were suitable for planting on the north side of the school as they will still grow and thrive in a shady area.

The children were joined by Councillor Swinburn who enjoyed seeing the children take such an active interest in the planting.

This morning, Blue Whales class finished the job, completing the three units in our garden area, ‘Pilgrim’s Patch.’

The class discussed the benefits of the scheme in class and then produced some lovely writing, where they outlined what they felt to be the most advantageous aspects of the project:

Mckenzie Cooke said that he felt it was an important scheme, ‘as it might stop houses from being damaged from flooding.’

Eda Hasan stated that she likes the planters as, ‘they can provide a home for insects, providing good nutrients in the soil.’

Jenson Harbord-Rimmer agreed, believing that the project is vital because ‘if Immingham was flooded, people, insects and plants might not have a home.’

Imogen Cook commented on the ‘importance of providing a nice environment, not just for us but for the wildlife around us.’

Mrs Morley, Vice Principal, who has helped to co-ordinate the project, said that, ‘it was fantastic to see the children take such an interest in the importance of the scheme, considering the impact that the planters can have.

In addition, it was really enjoyable to see the children having a go at using the trowels and mini rakes to put the plants into the soil.’

We would like to thank all of the agencies involved for inviting us to be part of the sustainable drainage project.

Please look out for related news in the future, as some of our children have started visiting the William Wilberforce science labs in Hull to carry out water-based experiments.

In addition, we will be reporting on our new weather station.