News

More than 3,000 students in 25 schools across seven states will soon be donning their gardening gloves and getting stuck into creating their dream gardens thanks to the Yates Junior Landcare Grants for Gardens Program.

Launched in May, the program received a record number of applications, with hundreds of schools submitting creative and exciting ideas for outdoor classrooms and gardens, with hand drawn plans, short films and mood boards.

The funded projects include a number of Indigenous Plant and Cultural projects, including at Yorketown Area School in South Australia, and Gundagi Public School in New South Wales. Sensory spaces and gardens are also a popular choice, with Mannum Community College in South Australia creating a ‘Sensory Wellbeing Garden’, which will be part of an outdoor learning complex. Glengarry Primary School in Western Australia will create an ‘Upcycled Sensory Wonderland’ to include climbing areas, drums, and a sensory pathway around the garden to provide a unique and interactive learning area.

15 x $2,000 grants were originally offered through the Yates Junior Landcare Grants for Gardens program, with extra funding for an additional 10 grants put forward by Yates due to the high demand and high quality of applications. Each school will receive $1,500 in funding, $500 of Yates garden products and a growing consultation with a Yates
gardening expert to arm the students with tips and tricks to help their gardens thrive.

Angie Thomas, Yates Horticultural Communications Manager, is delighted to see such huge interest in the program.

“We have had such an amazing response from the Garden Grants this year, which shows that our mini green thumbs are passionate about the environment they live in and love to get their hands dirty. We are thrilled to be able to support 25 Schools and Communities on bringing their garden dreams to life” she said.

Tessa Matykiewicz, Landcare Australia CEO, is looking forward to see the funded projects take root.

“It is so important to have projects such as these available for children to get involved in. The benefits of outdoor learning in a hands on way are vast, and thanks to our partnership with Yates, more than 3,000 students will have the opportunity to learn skills that will stay with them into the future,” she said.

For a full list of grant recipients, please visit www.yates.com.au