ROWLEDGE Primary School and the Busy Bees Gardening and Wildlife Club have been chosen to be the recipients of a grant from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) as part of its Connected Communities scheme.

The RHS funding will support the work being undertaken in the school’s garden to encourage pupils and local residents to enjoy the many benefits gardening has to offer.

Further grants and donations have been awarded by Farnham Round Table, Farnham Lions Club, East Hampshire district councillor David Ashcroft, and Hampshire county councillor Mark Kemp-Gee.

The funds have been put to good use, along with a generous donation from the Friends of Rowledge School charity.

The funding has allowed the gardening club to buy and install a part-glazed potting and storage shed in the school’s grounds for use by the pupils.

The money also went towards buying a bespoke market cart – which is being made by Comley Reclaim from reclaimed materials – on which the pupils will maintain a permanent herb garden and offer their produce to local residents outside the school gates.

The funding has also allowed the club to buy and install a bench and a dedicated pollinator-friendly raised planter in the school’s grounds for the children to plant and maintain.

Sarah Womersley, one of the coordinators of the Busy Bees Gardening and Wildlife Club run out of the school’s garden by volunteers, said: “We are really keen to encourage local residents to come and participate in our weekly sessions in the school garden.”

Volunteer sessions take place every Thursday from midday onwards.

Anyone who would like more information should visit the website at https://rowledgebusybees.weebly.com