Youngsters transform residents' gardens

A team of pupils from Filton High School have shown off their green fingers by transforming a garden at a sheltered housing scheme.

The 11 Year 10 – 11 pupils have been working in the gardens at Merlin Housing Society’s Giffard House scheme in Little Stoke, much to the delight of residents.

The youngsters are all part of the school’s Work 2 Learn scheme, which gives pupils the opportunity to learn vocational skills. At the end of a successful year, in the summer the group were encouraged to give something back to the community.

They decided to improve the garden at Merlin Housing Society’s Giffard House sheltered scheme. The youngsters spent a week at the scheme during July to transform one garden and returned at the end of September to plant a new rose garden.

The new gardens were officially handed over to residents by the pupils at a special ceremony last week, attended by Filton High School headteacher Ann Duff.

She said:” I feel very proud of what they have achieved and hope that they do to. Youngsters get a bad press but what they have done at Giffard House shows that everyone can make a great contribution because they have done a fantastic job.”

And residents are delighted with their new gardens.

Keith Wilson said: “All the rose beds were full of weeds before. But the pupils have worked very hard and it’s looking great now.”

Iris Tucker added: “I think it’s excellent. It’s much better than it was before. It was more weeds than roses before and the other one was just a mass of lavender. We realised that it all had to be removed and when we saw them working on it everyone in the building was. They’ve done a great job.”