Hillside Specialist School receives seedling donation to grow community vegetable garden project

The community vegetable garden will see pupils who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder work together to build and plant patches before being allocated their own area to grow and cultivate.

Tilia Homes’ donation of £300 has allowed the school, which, as part of its many specialities, focuses largely on preparing its secondary school pupils to prepare for adulthood, to purchase materials to build the planters and get the exciting project off the ground.

Emma Pettitt, Assistant Headteacher at Hillside Specialist School and College, comments: “The donation made by Tilia Homes will make a massive amount of difference to the pupils at Hillside Specialist School and College. It will enable us to buy crucial materials required to build the vegetable patch and get the project off the ground.

“It will be used to buy fencing, a gate and a mesh to keep the patch protected from the lovely wildlife we have living in and around the school such as deer and rabbits. It is essential that our pupils are provided with opportunities to participate in projects such as this one to continue to develop their life skills in a practical and meaningful way that will benefit them when they move on from us.

“Part of this includes providing opportunities to develop key life skills that the pupils can then use when they leave us. It can be a challenge to find work or volunteering opportunities in the community that are suitable for some of the complex needs of our students.”

The pupils hope to grow carrots, potatoes, lettuce and a variety of other vegetables with the intention of selling to parents or using themselves as part of cooking activities. The project has already sparked interest from people in the local Longridge, as well as parents and carers, wanting to get involved in the project, making the vegetable patch very much something for the whole community to enjoy.

Emily Horn, Sales and Marketing Director for Tilia Homes Northern, adds: “It’s our pleasure to make this contribution to Hillside Specialist School and College as we understand how important this project will be the pupils learning invaluable skills in food, cooking and health as well as integrating and working together as part of a team and wider community.

“With our Alston Grange development only a short distance away, we understand how important it is to support the causes and projects close to the hearts of the communities in which we build and look forward to seeing all the fresh produce grow in the months to come.”

For more information on the homes available at Alston Grange on Preston Road, Longridge, please call 01772 340 156 or visit www.tiliahomes.co.uk.