St Giles Spencer Academy hosts Opening Ceremony for 'Maddy's Garden'
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St Giles Spencer Academy recently celebrated the re-opening of 'Maddy’s Garden', with a special ‘Sunflower Day’ ceremony in memory of former pupil.
The garden was initially installed on the school field in 2008 in memory of Maddy, a former pupil of St Giles, who sadly passed away. The build was arranged by her father and Toyota Charitable Trust.
St Giles Spencer are incredibly grateful for the expertise and professionalism of Toyota's technical apprentices, who kindly renovated the sensory garden and the 'Toyota Garden' over the course of a week with the support of funding from the Toyota Charitable Trust.
Fittingly, the sun shone brightly for their Sunflower Day, with children and staff all wearing yellow. There were celebrations during the re-opening of the garden, thanking the Toyota Charitable Trust for their innovative thinking and technical expertise demonstrated in their wonderful designs that truly considered the children's needs.
Louise Pipes, Family Support Practitioner at St Giles, coordinated the opening celebration event and ensured the day was run perfectly for everyone involved. St Giles were honoured to be joined by Maddy’s family, and to share a day of both remembrance and celebration.
The Sunflower Day was launched by their fantastic choir, singing and signing 'Plant a Little Seed'. Children then presented thank you cards to the Toyota staff, before the garden was officially opened by the Toyota Charitable Trust (with the help of a count down by one of St Giles Spencer Academies amazing pupils!)
Children were overjoyed to explore the newly revamped sensory garden and Toyota Garden whilst families were welcomed throughout the day to take part in family craft activities linked to the 'Sunflower' theme.
Kim Smith, Principal of St Giles Spencer said: "We are extremely grateful for the time and professionalism dedicated to us by the Toyota Charitable Trust. The impact of the renovation will be greatly appreciated by the children and enhance their sensory learning experiences and their enjoyment of the outdoors."
We give a huge thank you to the incredible Toyota Apprentices, the Toyota Charitable Trust and all the organisations that donated to support this fantastic project.
Written by Tom Hammond