Get Your Grown Ups Growing Day

Video : www.vimeo.com/channels/mlcreative (scroll to the two most recent videos uploaded)
            * also collage of photographs added 28/11/11

Photographs : www.flickr.com/photos/mlcreative (all photos in Set 'Get Your Grown Ups Growing')
            * Entries to the 'One Autumn Day' photographic competition added 28/11/11

The day began early with preparations and a little apprehension about how many would join us.

By 10:00 am everything was ready and people began to arrive with their spades and family in tow.

We needn't have worried.

The early arrivals began cutting the bases from hundreds of Coca Cola bottles. These would be used to make the walls of our Greenhouse.

The gift store provided a colourful show as other volunteers arrived. Rob Waite was on hand and was quick to grab some strong looking Fathers  - and our Headmaster -  to dig and prepare the location for the uprights. It would be hard work here because there were a number of big roots to work around.

Beneath the gazebo our 60 minute  "One Autumn Day' photographic competition was unfolding and the first theme of 'R.H.S.' was announced. Children enthusiastically scattered with their cameras in search of the best shot.

By this stage a large pile of cut bottles were ready for the next group of helpers to assemble; one inside another.  Many enjoyed building their long tubes of bottles and threading bamboo canes inside.

The bell rang which marked the end of our first hour and a chance to see the results of our first photo challenge. A large group assembled infront of the steps and winners were announced.

After a welcome hot drink at the refreshment table, run by our 'Friends of Milbourne Lodge", it was back to work with the ever increasing numbers.

A huge variety of tasks could now be allocated including preparing and sweeping the garden area ready to lay gravel around the raised beds. We placed straw around our carrots to provide warmth and protection. 

 Younger pupils oiled our new tubs, filled them with compost and began to plant a variety of mixed daffodils and grape hyacinth bulbs. A group of chatting mothers were quickly tasked to join up our new information labels which have been made in Art and ICT lessons. 

Now it was time for everyone to lay the gravel using spades, buckets and rakes. Great fun was had by all! This was made possible by a very handy Dad who had just completed edging the garden with treated timber to stop the gravel spilling over onto the playground.  

The bottle columns, for our greenhouse, were now placed on our first wooden frame and a family set too to hammer them securely onto the frame using fencing staples.

Meanwhile the Photograhy Competition continued successfully running every hour with many eager contestants keen to win  sweets and Garsons Farm vouchers donated by our sponsors. The standard of entries was very high and the pupils work was quickly and efficiently printed and displayed on our noticeboard with the help of a recent old boy who worked tirelessly all day! 

  As well as this competition everyone was asked to add a comment on our "Tree of Thoughts" - which had began the day as a bare tree and by now was laden with wonderful leaves and comments about our event.

Lunch was provided by Waitrose in the form of large rolls filled with ham and freshly picked salad leaves which pupils had harvested from our school garden earlier in the morning.

To our amazement families were still arriving and new jobs needed to be found! The area set aside for the greenhouse was quickly covered with weed membrane and many children helped to tap in the pegs around the edges.

Finally everyone present gathered under our first completed greenhouse wall for a group photograph to celebrate the completion of our first panel.

There was just time for a final visit to the gift shop to take home a garden souvenir.

It had been a long but hugely productive day with over 200 people including pupils, siblings, parents, teachers and friends all working so hard to achieve so much in our garden.

A huge thank you to everyone who gave up their day to come and help us. Let's hope we have inspired some new future gardeners !

First wall of the greenhouse completed successfully !

R.H.S.

Every 60 minutes during the Family Gardening Day yesterday there was a photography competition - entitled 'One Autumn Day.'  The themes changed each hour


First theme was won by Ben Ray and Frank Bone.  A more enthusiastic duo I could not find - in fact they also won a 'lifetime achievement award' as they entered photographs for each and every theme.

Who Am I ?

What am I ?

We simply couldn't decide between two photographs for the theme 'What am I?' - so we chose joint winners.

Fistly, Sophie Lonnon and Ella Nigrelli for the superb picture they submitted of themselves hidden among the foliage in the garden.




Also,  Aren Sargood for his 'maple leaf' thought.

The leaf is from our 'Tree of Thoughts'.  At various points throughout the day we encouraged everyone to stop what they were doing and take a leaf, write down some words in response to their activities and add them to the tree.  


Video footage of the day can be found on our Vimeo Channel which is

www.vimeo.com/channels/mlcreative or use this link to Vimeo

Modern Family

There were some really strong group and family submissions for this theme - but we felt that overall Sam Baker's photograph of his family perfectly captured the essence of what we wanted.

Eats Shoots and Leaves

Mrs O'Callaghan-Brown won this category with her photograph of Mrs Calvert. 

A huge Thank You is due to all parents who gave so willingly of their time throughout the day - many were with us from dawn to dusk.

Many arrived with gardening tools in hand and all worked tremendously hard and with the most wonderfully positive approach generating a real feeling of community spirit throughout the day.  The children could not have been better behaved, and really seemed to appreciate working in school with their parents, siblings and grandparents.

Work, Rest and Play

We had some fun waiting to see how pupils would interpret this theme - and we weren't disappointed.


The winning entry was submitted by Raphael Ziegler,  Thomas O'Callaghan-Brown  and Alexander Evans. 

Cool Colours

Finally, as the sun set and we began to think about tidying everything away we held the final competition - with a very simple theme.

We had a huge number of entries for this : but without a doubt Eve Bearfield's  photograph caught the spirit of exactly the image we wanted.

As she'd left to go home before her prize was awarded we do hope that someone has told her she has won!







A final 'Thank you' to Garsons of Esher who sponsored the competition, and Waitrose who supplied lunch for all of us.

And the last word of thanks goes to Coca Cola who will , in total, supply all 2012 bottles for our Centenary Bottle Greenhouse.