Sywell Primary School celebrate new prayer garden

Featuring a cross, an extra-large reading chair and an all-weather Bible the new garden was resurrected from the previous space.

Russell Lunn, head teacher said of the old garden’s safety issues: “The paths were gravel, and after a while the matting started to come through which was difficult as we had partially sighted children and it was a bit dangerous for them.”

School’s governors discussed bulldozing the garden to restore the land to the playing field but a timely email from a former pupil saved the garden.

Russell explained: “We didn’t feel that it was right to spend that much money on the garden when we could put that into the curriculum.

“But we just didn’t want to let the prayer garden go luckily the next day I got an email from Julie Harrison, a former student who works for construction company Amey.

“She said that she was in a position where she could give something back to the school and asked, “Is there anything that you need doing?”, so I told her about the garden.”

Julie and Tony Noble, one of the school’s governors, developed a plan for an easy to maintain and safe area that could be used throughout the curriculum.

All of the garden features were gifted by parents and former students, as well as the extra-large reading chair from Amey.

Church Warden and school governor, Neil Botterill, donated the cross in the middle of the garden and a large plastic Bible with laminated pages, set in one of the flower beds, which were made at Crane Plastics Ltd.

Bishop John said: “I think that it’s lovely that the governors, friends and some local business have all contributed to this amazing garden. It’s a serious piece of work – and done very well.”

The Bishop also toured the new school hall facility.