Meg Pollock shares her experience of this positive approach, funded by The Pebble Trust
Ballachulish Growing Food and Trees children and compost
Growing Food and Trees is led by the Ballachulish Primary School children’s Eco Committee and Parent Council, and is all about growing and eating healthy, delicious produce with low food miles.
We started our project in 2023, using an existing polytunnel and also beginning our tree planting work. The trees provide habitat for wildlife, sequester carbon and inspire the children to love nature.
The gardening sessions take place in school hours, with food growing in the polytunnel, where children have helped to build the raised beds. These are made from recycled silage wrapping and bought from Solway recycling.
Ballachulish Growing Food and Trees polytunnel
Children, staff and volunteers all planted seeds and small plants; nurtured them; marvelled at their growth; harvested and eaten the produce. The polytunnel has also been used by an after-school club run by Glencoe Folk Museum and the local playgroup, and children seem to enjoy the space, as they also play around the polytunnel outside school hours and organised activities.
Ballachulish Growing Food and Trees cucumber
As well as growing, we’ve also been making compost, using egg boxes from the school kitchen and plant material from the polytunnel.
Growing Food and Trees is great for building connections between parents and the school, and between neighbours. People share the polytunnel watering in the holidays – we use ‘ollas’, ceramic watering pots buried in the raised beds, to reduce the number of times watering is needed. We installed a water butt so we have rainwater rather than mains water in the polytunnel.
The momentum of the project is demonstrated by the fact that it continued to thrive even when there was a complete change in teaching and leadership staff in 2024.
Looking to the future, we asked the staff and volunteers about what will help them to keep using the polytunnel. The answer was that keeping it well-organised is key. So, the last of the Pebble Trust funding has gone towards storage for tools, empty plant pots etc. which will keep them safe and secure, but also easy to access.
Ballachulish Growing Food and Trees drawing
We’re very grateful to the local garden centre, who will continue to donate young vegetable plants in springtime. The school and the Parent Council will fundraise for the small amounts of cash needed to buy things like seeds and any top-ups of compost.
The project has been a fantastic success and we’re looking forward to future growing. We’re really grateful to the Pebble Trust – their funding was essential to get the project off the ground.
Artwork by the children of Ballachulish Primary School and Nursery, photos by staff and Meg Pollock. Growing Food and Trees, Video narration by Meg with help from Niall. music is Child’s Play, composed by Paul Hornby-Battrick.
Ballachulish Growing Food and Trees tree planting