Students at West Bathurst Public School love their vegetable patch and now they are set to take it to a whole new level.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole today announced the school had been successful in its application for NSW Government funding for a sustainable kitchen garden.
He said a Sustainable Schools Grant of $15,000 would allow further upgrades to what is already an impressive area where all sorts of veggies can be grown.
School principal Darren Denmead said they are very grateful for the funding.
“We have a strong kitchen garden at Bathurst West Public School called The Patch, where children are able to plant, grow, maintain and harvest their own herbs, fruits and vegetables, and then use these in cooking healthy meals with classmates at school,” he said.
“Before receiving this grant, it had been very difficult to keep our garden watered, and water must be carried to the garden some distance or by using long hoses. This was an even more serious issue during the recent drought as water restrictions were in place across the region.
“This grant will be used to help our Kitchen Garden to thrive by allowing us to install water tanks to catch rain water off nearby roofs, as well as pumps to carry the water from the tanks to our gardens.
“By working with this system, we will also be able to teach and demonstrate to our children about being water-wise, and being kind to our community and environment through self-sustainability.”
Mr Toole said he was excited that West Bathurst Public School would receive the grant in the second round of this program which is designed for students to get their hands dirty while learning about sustainable practices and improving the environment at their school.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said 187 public schools across the State have received a Sustainable Schools Grant in round two of the program.
“The interest in this program is excellent to see, and I wish all the staff and students well on the delivery of their projects,” Ms Mitchell said.
“Students will be delivering projects such as vertical gardens, water storage strategies, and even beehives to improve biodiversity.”
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