Falmouth School students were joined by the town mayor last week (Friday) to officially open the Lowenporth Sensory Garden.

The garden was designed and created by the students themselves.

Described as a "huge achievement" by the school, and was made possible by a grant from Headstart Kernow and the hard work of the students themselves.

The students started the design of the project during the January-March lockdown and have upcycled materials to make: benches, tables, a composter, bug house, paths, planters, and even a herb wall over the last half term.

The local community also supported the project with donations of materials and plants being made by Asda Penryn, Falmouth garden Centre and Falmouth residents.

The garden has been designed with raised beds so that the school's wheelchair users can grow vegetables and with tucked-away spaces for students having sensory overload as well as with a Learning Hut for emotional literacy intervention.

Mrs Brooker, SENCO, said:

"The students and community have really pulled together and worked incredibly hard. This garden shows just how amazing our SEN students can be when they're enabled and trusted to produce something.

"Watching our wheelchair users plant vegetables for the first time and our children who find school a very difficult place to navigate, painting and smiling has been wonderful."

The Sensory Garden was the latest in a series of improvements in SEN provision at the school including, a sensory room, physio room, and dedicated intervention spaces complete with murals and artwork designed by the students.

Opening the garden was mayor Steve Eva, he told Nub News:

"The garden is fantastic, the best thing about that garden is that they have done it themselves, and they have thought about what they wanted and they have sourced their materials. You could have got a company to come in and pay for it, and it wouldn't have meant the same, they will take ownership of that because it's theirs. I am so privileged to come and open it."

Another brilliant initiative going on at the school is a sponsored walk, with pupil Rita walking 1000 meters by the end of term to raise money for an assistance dog charity.

Rita will be doing the walk with her therapy dog Maui, any sponsorship money can be dropped in at the reception care of Lowenporth.

Rita added:

'I have got a tiger walker (frame) which I can hold onto, I get out of my wheelchair and then we start walking. I am training really hard, Maui is also a really good training partner. One of the teachers asked me if I think I could do it, I said I know I can!"

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