Plants
of current interest Sir David Attenborough visits the Gardens!
Sir David Attenborough unveiled
an 8ft tall and 7ft wide stainless steel sculpture of the life cycle
of a dragonfly, made by sculptor Steve Blaylock – to mark the opening
of a new Children's Education Gardens within
the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens on 11 July.
School children gave the renowned naturalist and broadcaster a tour of the Garden, which is made up of a series of themed outdoor areas, to show him how they contributed to their design and construction.
The new Garden has been created to enhance the education programmes provided by Hillier Gardens and is unique as it was built by children for children. The Mediterranean, Oak and the 'musical' Bamboo classrooms are exciting places to learn in – full of exotic plants and herbs and spices, with a workshop for the children to get their hands into the soil to grow their own vegetables and learn about composting. There are also six dipping ponds teeming with aquatic life and buzzing with dragonflies – each pond has been adopted by a school who will monitor how it develops and evolves. At the awesome 20 foot Easter Island Head sculpture visitors will learn the important message about the tragic decline of civilisation on Easter Island many centuries ago by its inhabitants who failed to respect and protect their environment.
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are an important centre for education and conservation and are enjoyed by over 115,000 visitors a year, which includes over 12,000 school children on structured education visits linked to the National Curriculum. The purpose of the new Education Garden is to teach not only pupils but visitors too about the ever changing environment in a way that is both fun and practical.
Councillor Ken Thornber said: 'It is great that Sir David
Attenborough has agreed to open the Children's Education Garden and show
his support of the work the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens staff are undertaking
to educate people about the natural world and the threats facing it.
'The garden education programme fits in with the work that is being
carried out in some of Hampshire's primary schools under the Rights,
Respect and Responsibility scheme, which aims to guide young people towards
becoming conscientious citizens of the future. One of the areas included
in the initiative is raising awareness and appreciation of the environment.
'Education
is also the key to understanding the impact our modern life is having on
the environment, which is why projects like the Education Garden are so
important. It is from knowledge of the natural world that we will be able
to take positive steps towards slowing down the effects of climate change.'
At the end of a very enjoyable day, Sir David Attenborough was delighted
to be presented with the plant Indigofera 'Silk Road' as well as a smaller
version of the new dragonfly sculpture, complete with stunning blue glass
wings and mounted on stone.
Can you help support projects such as the Children's Education Garden? If so, we would love to hear from you. Please speak to Joanna Coope on 01794 369322.
Steve Blaylock, Sculptor
Steve Blaylock's art often depicts huge stainless steel bugs and birds and his work forms part of Art in The Garden every year at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, which has become established as one of the most exciting contemporary craft and sculpture exhibitions in the UK, currently running until the end of October.
Widely covered by the media, Steve and his innovative and inspirational bugs and beasts were seen by the BBC and he was commissioned to recreate the Blue Peter ship using his unique sculpting method; April 1999 saw this installed in the BBC Television Centre garden.
Visit him at: www.metalsculpture.co.uk
Tuesday 11 July 2006
Sir David Attenborough to open the Children's Education Garden
Groups
of schoolchildren will be showing Sir David Attenborough how their gardens
grow when he officially opens the new Children's Education
Garden at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens on Tuesday 11 July.
The children will be giving the renowned naturalist and broadcaster a tour of the Garden, which is made up of a series of themed outdoor areas, to show him how they contributed to their design and construction.
The new Garden has been created
to enhance the education programmes provided by Hillier Gardens at its
Sir Richard Storey Education Building, which was designed by Hampshire County
Council's Architects. The Mediterranean,
Oak and Bamboo classrooms demonstrate different types of environments and
have examples of the plants and flowers likely to be found there. There
are six pools full of aquatic life in the Dipping Pond area and each one has
been adopted by a school who will monitor how it develops and evolves. At
the giant Easter Island Head sculpture visitors will learn about sustainability
and protecting the environment and in the Workshop pupils will be able to
get their hands in the soil, where they will learn about planting and composting.
Each area was designed and built with the help of school children. Some
of the pupils will be taking Sir David Attenborough on a tour of the Garden
once he has declared it to be open. They will be joined by the Leader of
Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber and the Garden's
sponsors.
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are an important centre for education
and conservation and are enjoyed by over 115,000 visitors a year, which
includes over 12,000 school children on structured education visits linked
to the National Curriculum. The purpose of the new Education Garden is to
teach not only pupils but visitors too about the ever changing environment
in a way that is both fun and practical.
Councillor Ken Thornber said: 'It is great that Sir David Attenborough
has agreed to open the Children's Education Garden and show his support
of the work the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens staff are undertaking to educate
people about the natural world and the threats facing it.
'The garden education
programme fits in with the work that is being carried out in some of Hampshire's
primary schools under the Rights, Respect and Responsibility scheme, which
aims to guide young people towards becoming conscientious citizens of the
future. One of the areas included in the initiative is raising awareness
and appreciation of the environment.
'Education is also the key to understanding the impact our modern life
is having on the environment, which is why projects like the Education
Garden are so important. It is from knowledge of the natural world that
we will be able to take positive steps towards slowing down the effects of
climate change.'
Note to Editors
Press Call: The media are invited to the official opening of
the new Children's Education Garden at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens,
Jermyn's Lane, Ampfield, nr Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 0QA on Tuesday 11 July
at 11am. If you wish to attend please contact Joanna Coope, Marketing and
Events Manager, on 01794 369322 or email joanna.coope@hants.gov.uk by Wednesday
5 July.
The schools involved in the design and construction of the Children's
Education Garden are: The Arnewood School, Oaklands Community School, The
Romsey School, Millbrook School, Oak Lodge School, Wolverdene School and
Calmore Junior School.
Artists and organisations involved with the design and construction process
are:
Jenny Muncaster of The Colour Factory Gallery and Studios
Wayne Campbell and Mark Burghin, Artists - University of the Solent
Angela Wright, CEO Solent Skill Quest
Guy Poppy, Southampton University
Steve Poynton, County Inspector, Outdoor Education Service, Hampshire County
Council
Sponsors of the Children's Education Garden are:
Esme Fairburn Foundation, The Ernest Cook Trust, The Trusthouse Charitable
Foundation, The Dulverton Trust, Jenny Grundy, Test Valley Borough Council
Arts Grant, Arts and Tourism for Hampshire, and Underground Art + Design.
Sir Harold Hillier created the original Gardens in 1953 which were subsequently
gifted in trust to Hampshire County Council who now manage the day to day
operations. The Gardens are registered with English Heritage as part of the
UK's natural and cultural heritage and contains a collection of 42,000
plants of around 12,000 types, which is constantly being supplemented. There
are 12 National Plant collections and a strong emphasis is placed on the conservation
of plants endangered in their native habitats.
We wish to thank the BBC for their kind permission to use the photograph above.