Bee Wild Garden Opening

It was a morning to remember last Friday as pupils, staff, parents, and friends of Hutchesons’ joined together to celebrate the opening of the Bee Wild Garden.

In May 2021, current P5 pupils Cassie and Josephine were awarded £3,000 for coming first in the national BP Stem Challenge – My Net Zero Community, to create a sustainable project in their community and redesign an urban area to attract biodiversity.

Having learnt about the importance of bees as pollinators during their Science topic, they decided to create a plan for the disused AstroTurf area behind the after-school hut at Kingarth Street.

Named “Bee Wild”, the space is divided into different zones including a sensory herb zone, a wildflower zone, a bird- feeding zone, a recycling zone, two bug hotel zones, and a potting shed made from recycled bottles.

The BP Educational Service’s Ultimate STEM Challenge invited young people to look at the things they can do locally and to use science and technology to come up with a net zero plan for their own community.

This collaborative project involved construction by Mr Waugh and the children in Primary 5. The artwork and signage were created by Mrs Waugh and Miss Newton, and planning and planting was organised by Mrs Buchan, Cassie, Josephine, and some additional funding by the HGSPA.

After months of planning, redesigning, building, and purchasing, the beautiful garden was finally finished and opened for pupils and teachers to enjoy.

It is a special place for everyone to “bee happy, bee kind and bee grateful”.