Amisfield Walled Garden – Informative Talks At Various Schools:-
Dear Head Teachers
I would like to inform you about a potentially accessible facility for the pupils and teachers at your school – you may already be aware of the garden however I am finding that a great number of even very local residents are unaware of its existence and how they can benefit from it.
Amisfield walled garden is a historic garden set on the outskirts of Haddington in East Lothian. The garden, originally completed by the 7th Earl of Wemyss in 1783, is now being restored and developed by a group of around 30 volunteers. As its only full time member of staff, one of my tasks is to consider and extend the garden’s potential as an educational facility and community garden within the scope of this restoration. Part of my plan in doing this is to run some informative talks at various schools and appropriate further education centers in the region.
I would very much like to be given the opportunity to present this talk to the appropriate members of staff and the children at your school and I am writing to ask whether you might be interested in my visiting you on this basis.
At present, the garden is registered as an SQA provider, delivering the intermediate 1 section of the Rural Skills in Horticulture program for a group of S3 and S4 children from local secondary schools. This is being run by John Smith of Botanica and I am keen to ensure that this provision is understood from primary school right through to degree level to ensure a continuing and interested supply of new students coming through the garden.
The garden itself has enormous historical significance – the circular pavilions in each of the four corners are pretty much still intact and, along with the re-instatement of the original glass houses, will form the basis of a prestigious garden restoration in future years, lending further significance to the participation of students at this stage.
My talk would be very much geared towards the children with a view to encouraging them to tell their families about the project and visit the garden with their own parents. I would also like to look at organizing specialized visits with the school itself, around subjects such as biodiversity, plant recognition, tree planting and any other outdoor subjects that you feel may be of interest.
Please contact me by phone on 07704 049 572 or email me at enquiries@amisfield.org.uk if you would like to discuss this further or if you would like any more information about the garden.
With kind regards
June Tainsh,
Volunteer Co-ordinator