Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Thursday 22 January 2009

Eco Club wins an award!

Yay! We have won another award!

Ashperton Primary School, in Ledbury is the first school in Herefordshire to win a Gold Award with the Woodland Trust for getting involved in green activities including tree planting, reducing carbon emissions and recycling.

The new initiative launched this year by the Woodland Trust offers schools the opportunity to bring the great outdoors, the wonderful world of wildlife and green issues into the classroom with a range of resources and a new award scheme.

The Green Tree Schools Award scheme rewards schools every time they participate in inspirational learning events, projects or initiatives provided by The Woodland Trust. Ashperton Primary School is the first school in Herefordshire to win this award for participating in green activities, which included tree planting, reducing carbon emissions and recycling. Over the past 2 years Ashperton School have planted new trees in their school grounds and the children have grown trees from seeds, as well as recycling Christmas cards, visiting a woodland, reducing their carbon emissions and joining in various other Woodland Trust activities.

Karen Letten, schools development officer, said: “The scheme promotes a range of opportunities, each designed to stimulate a child’s imagination and sustain their interest in nature. The achievements of the school are recognised through an awards scheme in which they receive points for taking part in activities. As they reach milestones within the project they will receive bronze, silver and finally an attractive wooden plaque which acknowledges they’ve achieved the environmental accolade of a gold award.”

Sarah Blenkinsop, who is a leader of the School Eco Club, commented: "The Woodland Trust have donated trees for our hedgerow and copse as well as seeds to help Eco Club improve our outside environment at school. They also have provided us with wonderful free resources from their website. The Nature Detectives Club offers loads of ideas and brilliant fun activities for all the children at school. As a Forest School leader I also use the Woodland Trust resources during sessions with the children.”

Sue Fowler, who is the Eco School Co-ordinator and Yr. 2 Teacher said: “It’s fantastic being one of the very first schools in the U.K. and certainly the first in Herefordshire to gain this award. We are very passionate about the environment at Ashperton Primary School and it is wonderful for the Woodland Trust to recognise our commitment and enthusiasm.”

To take part schools simply register at www.naturedetectives.org.uk/award and can start earning points immediately. These are a few of the many different ways to do this:

Participate in a tree planting event
Receive free trees for your school grounds
Recycle Christmas cards, mobile phones or inkjet cartridges with the Woodland Trust
Reduce CO2 emissions
Register with Nature Detectives
Join the Ancient Tree Hunt

Karen continues: “This is pick ‘n’ mix conservation. Teachers and children choose from a range of activities to suit their interest and priorities at any given moment. Schools embark on a real journey of discovery with us and, along the way, will also be working toward achieving other recognised environmental awards such as Eco Schools.”



The Woodland Trust’s learning team provides a range of resources for both primary and secondary schools. Most activities are available free of charge and further details can be found at www.naturedetectives.org.uk



Congratulations to ALL the children at our school, especially Eco Club, for all our hard work! We were the first school in Herefordshire and one of the first in the country to win this award!

We have had lots of media coverage about this, quite deservedly and oh I am so proud of us!

16 comments:

  1. Wonderful news CW... so deservedly achieved!! Something to be VERY proud of!!
    Love Jane xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. THANK YOU Jane!

    *I* am SO proud, I feel like I am going to burst!

    I have been doing my Forest School portfolio and as I write it up I am reminded more and more of how much wonderful stuff the children do...I am so lucky to work with them and help guide them. I am also SO lucky to have such a helpful and supportive fellow eco club leader and eco school co ordinator as well! My "eco partner in crime"! We make a formidible pair!!

    I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful group of children to teach and help and guide, and who encourage and inspire me all the time to do more and do even better.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful achievment for the children and for you. Well done. It is great to hear some positive news from the schools. Margaret

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations ((((((round of Applause)))))))

    How great must it feel, to teach children such things that could shape our very existence in years to come.

    I firmly believe if we are to be more gentle on the planet, the children will lead the way.

    Call it reverse education if you like, but the children will check if there parents are recycling properly if they have been taught about it at school and know what to do. Then they will nag the parents. I have seen this first hand.

    Good for you CW! Every time you teach a lesson, just think, in years to come, those children will be adults, who through great teachings, will shape not only their future but ours.

    Good for you, you should shout it from the roof tops.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very impressive, CW! Congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is fantastic news! Many many congratulations to you and the kids!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heartwarming news to read about. Well done all of you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well done C.W. reward for a lot of hard work all around... Hope things are going well with the other work you've been finishing off this month. I should be going into school later this week with the idea we had will drop you an e-mail soon...

    Well done all...

    Dean

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats. I saw the photo in the Hereford times & wondered if you had any thing to do with it!

    Kim
    Hereford uk

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kim, We were in The Journal as well!

    and the Reporter the week before

    THANK you, all of you for your lovely comments btw!

    Sorry I haven't been on here much, I am up to my eyeballs in Forest School work, have one week to finish but think I will be printing it off tomorrow ( all 120 plus pages of it) I have already proof read most of it, just one more bit to write and a bit of extra info I need to finish it off...then compile all the bits in order...and DONE!

    I can't wait ! I am so sick of sitting in front of my computer in the Study!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Well done you and the school. I miss doing my eco-schools work but will try and get back to the UK and do a couple of weeks this year.

    Rosie x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Well done. Hope all is well

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh great news! Well done you! I think it's so important to get kids learning about nature and the environment so it's fantastic to see schemes like this getting the recognition they deserve.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Do you know anyone that grows according to the lunar phases>?

    ReplyDelete
  15. hey hope you are all ok at compost mansion. Getting along with your forest stuff!

    can wait to see you back blogging, missing the chickeny fun!

    ReplyDelete
  16. THANK you all! I hope you have all realised I have finished my Forest School portfolio and SENT IT OFF!!

    The children were all very intrigued by the idea of my blogging about this.and getting your comments...and were very happy to recieve your nice comments, so THANK YOU ALL!!

    ReplyDelete

Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

UA-40361266-1