23 April 2007 00:00 Lincolnshire children’s group to get sensory garden thanks to Central Networks
A Lincoln children’s group is to build a new sensory garden after winning a grant from Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England.
The company, part of E.ON UK, has donated £2,500 to Lincoln’s Mount Street Infant and Nursery School to develop a grassed area under a large tree into a sensory garden where children can explore textured surfaces, a water feature, scented plants and colourful flowers.
The project is one of the winning applicants for Central Network’s £70,000 Safer Environment Fund, which makes money available for projects that demonstrate they will have a lasting and positive effect on the local environment.
Phil Wilson, Customer Operations Manager for Central Networks, said: “The pupils at the school come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including many who speak very little English and a little girl who is severely visually impaired.
“This project will create a safe and secure sensory garden area which they can easily navigate and explore, with plenty of stimuli for all the senses.
“We’re delighted to be able to help such a fantastic project and would encourage more local groups to apply for funds to help improve their community and environment.”
Samantha Campion, a teacher from the school, said: “Some of our children have no access to gardens at home. This project enables them to experience at first hand how things grow and change in the outdoor environment.
“At the moment the area is only used in the summer months when the grass is dry, however the sensory garden would be available all year round.
“The scented and colourful flowers will attract more butterflies, bees and insects to the area and the involvement of the children in the process of creating the garden will hopefully encourage them to take care of the environment both in and out of school.”
The new fund for 2007 is open to all local community groups and not-for-profit organisations with their own bank account located in the Central Networks distribution region, which covers central England. Groups can apply for grants of up to £2,500. For more information and to download an application form visit www.central-networks.co.uk/sef.
Ends
Notes to editors:
• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Boarders to the Lincolnshire Coast.
For more information contact:
Deanna Mooney on 02476 183 678
A selection of Central Networks images are available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution.