Water result for Weymouth school (From Dorset Echo)

Water result for Weymouth school

5:00pm Friday 22nd June 2012 in News By Samantha Harman

NEW POND: Dorset Gardens Trust’s Rosemary Agg, left, presents a cheque to Radipole Primary School headteacher Veronique Singer, watched by Field to Fence’s Michelle Eastlake and Year Five pupils

TADPOLES, newts and slow worms could all soon be found at a Weymouth school.

They will be making themselves at home in a new pond, which was created in part by a charity donation.

Radipole Primary School received £300 from educational charity the Dorset Gardens Trust to help with its newest nature project.

Dorset Garden Trust’s Rosemary Agg said: “We provided about a third of the funds needed for the pond.

“The children were very excited, there were lots of smiles.

“We are completely volunteer-run, we don’t have any offices, but we raise money through membership and garden events we put on.”

The rest of the funds needed came from the school’s Parent Teacher Association, and the pond was created by parent’s group Field to Fence.

Headteacher Veronique Singer said: “We used to have a pond, but it didn’t work properly, having become overgrown and stagnant.

“So we decided to put in a new one. It’s quite nice because one of the teachers has kept the water lilies from the old pond.

“We are hoping the pond will populate itself with lots of wildlife. We know there are slow worms in the area because the team came across them as they were building the pond.

“It is next to our own nature reserve, so we are hoping that the animals will use the pond.”

She added: “It will be an excellent teaching resource. We have a bridge so that the children can get a good look at the pond and fence panels around the outside so that even on their lunch breaks, they can still see what’s going on in the pond.”

Parents are asked to help plant the pond on Friday, July 6, at 3.15pm and donations of pond plants and pebbles for the beach area will be gratefully received.