Water firms recycled materials boost Elfed High School’s sustainable garden project

In a collaboration aimed at a greener future, Welsh Water and Morrison Water Services have teamed up to support a Flintshire high school’s sustainable garden project.

The two companies donated recycled materials, specifically surplus water pipe offcuts, to Elfed High School in Buckley for their project which promotes wellbeing, sustainability education, and skill development outside the classroom.

Led by the school’s youth worker, Miss Gillian Smith, and teaching assistant, Mrs Julie Bennett, the garden project provides a safe space for students to apply their skills outside the classroom and focus on wellbeing.

The initiative enables students to learn about sustainability while growing their own fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and strawberries.

The school reached out to Welsh Water with an unusual request: a donation of water pipe offcuts to support their gardening project and environmental goals using recycled materials.

The request was passed on to Welsh Water’s Network Alliance Project Manager, Jonathan Davies, who in turn contacted Morrisons Water Service’s Delivery Manager, Greg Phillips, to seek assistance.

After a few weeks of coordination, Morrisons Water Services Manager Alwyn Lane delivered approximately 25 metres of surplus piping to an excited group of students on 5 May.

Miss Julie Bennett, Teaching Assistant at Elfed High School, explained that the plastic piping would be used by students to build a crop protection frame to hold nets in place, preventing birds from eating the fruit they grow. She added that the idea for using recycled piping came from an allotment blog.

Greg Phillips, Morrisons Water Service’s Delivery Manager said: “We were delighted to be able to donate some of our surplus off cuts of water piping, which normally gets sent for recycling. Giving it directly to the school to recycle and use in their sustainable garden project has more environmental benefits and so glad the students get so much from the project.”

Elfed High School’s long-term objective for the garden project is to grow enough food for students to take home or share within the community.

The initiative also teaches students how to prepare and cook the food they grow.

While the project is open to all students, it is also offered as a gardening intervention for those who struggle in the classroom environment and need to improve their wellbeing.

Jonathan Davies, Welsh Water’s Network Alliance Project Manager, noted that Welsh Water was pleased to work with Morrisons Water Services in supporting the school’s garden project and promoting environmental sustainability within the community.