New lease of life for garden project
A disused piece of land was given a makeover for students at Nova Hreod Academy thanks to a team of volunteers from car leasing company Arval UK. The company, a major local employer based in West Swindon, has partnered with the Academy for just over a year, providing a range of support from interview skills, CV writing and work experience placements to showcasing alternative energy vehicles.
To mark the anniversary of the partnership, members of the Arval senior leadership team came along and put their backs into creating an outdoor classroom within the school grounds, creating raised beds and renovating storage and composting facilities. The space has now been handed over to a group of students as part of the Academy’s SuperNova programme, which is designed to help students try new interests and experiences.
The project is designed to develop students’ teamwork and planning skills, teaching them how to sow, plant and harvest their crops, enterprise and cookery skills. Members of the group will be empowered to make decisions about what to plant and how to use their crops.
Ailsa Firth, Arval HR Director, commented:
“We are very proud of our close partnership with Nova Hreod Academy as part of our “Arval Inspires” community programme. We’ve made great progress working together in the past year and feel we have been able to make a tangible difference in preparing students for life in employment. We thoroughly enjoyed marking our one year anniversary with a day developing this outdoor space for the students.
Nova Hreod Academy’s Headteacher Nick Wells, said:
We are extremely grateful to Arval for help with this new project and their ongoing support of the Academy. Nova students have already benefited greatly from Arval’s involvement and the partnership has provided some welcome opportunities for our students. We are looking forward to reaping the rewards from look forward to the partnership continuing to bring benefits for our students.
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