The PatchSheringham Community Small Holding

Photo by Chris Taylor (http://www.christaylorphoto.co.uk/)

A generous grant of £8,600 made to The Patch from the Clothworkers Foundation is now fully spent. It has been put to good use, and the things it has provided have added value to the experience gained by pupils from the three, on-site Sheringham schools.Matthew Smith, Director of The Patch and Business Manager at Woodfields School gives an idea of how the money has been spent, saying: “The major outlay has been in a new, custom designed, fully accessible by everyone including wheelchair users, greenhouse which has had raised beds with wooden covers installed. This gives us double capacity storage when the beds are not in use. The money has also allowed us to build two extra raised beds, install seating in the sensory garden and buy various classroom resources to aid learning. Last, but still important, there was enough left over to buy guttering and water butts to harvest water off all our structures, which should help to reduce our water bills!”The investment has paid off: a lot of hard graft by staff and pupils resulted in a successful plant sale earlier this month, which added £85 to The Patch’s coffers. All the plants were sown, nurtured and potted on by pupils who benefit so much from their involvement in the project. The resultant selection of fruit, vegetable and ornamental plants displayed outside Woodfields’ Den (next to Tesco) attracted the attention of many local gardeners interested in acquiring a bargain.

Matthew allayed the fears of anyone who missed out on the sale on 10^th May, saying: “It’s still not too late. There’s time to take advantage of The Patch’s bounty by visiting www.facebook.com/ThePatchSheringham, or make contact with us via email (pm@3.10.78.233) to enquire about purchasing plants.”

He went on to thank everyone who contributed to this successful event. “We couldn’t have achieved this without the grant from the Clothworkers Foundation, the hard work of people who raised the plants, and those who gave their time to sell them on the day.   All monies raised will be used to enhance the facilities at The Patch, which brings enjoyment and learning to so many people.”

A massive thank you to Claws and Paws of Sheringham for their kind pledge of free chicken feed for our hungry hens – their support is very much appreciated and means a lot to everyone involved with The Patch

Claws & Paws
54 – 56 Station Road
Sheringham
01263 825070

http://www.sheringhamtown.co.uk/clawsandpaws.htm

A massive thank you to Felbrigg Hall for their kind donation of plants for our Sensory Garden at the Patch. We can’t wait to get planting them. Such an amazing selection of herbs and flowers.

Find out more about Felbrigg Hall here

The Sheringham Community Smallholding, otherwise known as The Patch, has been awarded a substantial grant of £8,600 from the Clothworkers’ Foundation, enabling capital developments on this exciting development to continue.

The Clothworkers’ Foundations was set up by The Clothworkers’ Company in 1977. It aims to improve the lives of people and communities by awarding grants for suitable projects. Many charities and community initiatives have already been helped in this way, The Patch being one of the latest. Sheringham Woodfields School, Sheringham Primary School and Sheringham High School have a particularly strong connection, with pupils spending time on the smallholding learning what is involved in food production and caring for livestock.

Matthew Smith, Director of The Patch and Business Manager of Sheringham Woodfields School is delighted with the award. “I applied for the grant back in November 2013,” he said. “We already have plans for the money. We will firstly use it to buy and construct a second, but smaller, polytunnel with improved wheelchair access. It will also cover the cost of providing an additional set of raised beds plus the necessary compost and soil.
“All the work involved in the forthcoming project will be carried out by local contractors and volunteers, and when completed, will be available for everyone. However, it will especially benefit the pupils at the three schools, who gain confidence, skills and life skills from working on The Patch.
“This very generous award will allow The Patch to gain strength, to grow and cater for more children at The Patch at any given time.”