Green-fingered group sprucing up school gardens across Kidderminster

The Kidderminster Gardens Facebook group was set up last year by father and college lecturer Chris Millington to bring together people who were struggling with the effects of the coronavirus lockdown on their mental and phsyical health.

Joined by his friend Martin Cadwallader, the pair devised daily themes for the social media community to interact with, including Floral Fridays and Wildlife Wednesdays.

Some of the donated plants for the Seeds for Schools project

"We found we were growing daily as a group which was great because people were buying into the positive vibes we were looking to create," said Chris. "10 months later and we have 2,170 members, which is amazing."

As the group continued to grow, Chris, who works as a lecturer in horticultural studies, came up with the idea of utilising the Kidderminster Gardens community to make a difference to local schools.

With the help of the group's admin team, Chris set up the Seeds for School project to encourage more youngsters to get out in nature and learn through gardening.

The first batch of plants and seeds donated by members have already been delivered to schools including St Oswald's, Foley Park, Birchen Coppice, St Mary's and St Ambrose. The group is now urging more schools in the area to sign up to take part.

Chris said: "We want to create a legacy within our group and wider community where we can help play our part in giving every school age child in this area the chance to have a positive gardening experience.

"Whether it be through planting a seed, through to digging, raking and other general outdoor fun, this is where memories are made.

"We want to put a smile on children's faces, because they like us all need something positive to focus on right now. Nature provides that."

He added: "Schools will be contacted in the Kidderminster area and will be asked what exactly their garden needs are.

Chris Millington set up the Kidderminster Gardens group during the first Covid lockdown to encourage others to use gardening as a way to improve their mental and physical health

"We will aim to provide them with items they may need via our generous community whilst also providing plants and seeds to give children those wonderful planting experiences.

"All that we are asking from the Schools is that they reply to the email and they will signed up for that particular year. This is something we will then role out annually."

To find out more, search Kidderminster Gardens on Facebook. Anyone wishing to make a donation of seeds or plants to a local school is encouraged to message the group via the Facebook page.