Business and school partnership celebrated as Glemsford primary school opens its story garden

Young literary lovers at Glemsford Primary Academy have begun seeking inspiration from a ‘story garden’ thanks to a partnership with a local employer.

Staff at Philips Avent teamed up to build a new outdoor space at the school – which was funded by parents supporting the friends of the school.

Headteacher Andrew Hammond hailed the creation of the garden, which also contains quotations and statues from children’s books such as Peter Rabbit and Peter Pan.

Mr Hammond said: “We wanted to create somewhere the children could reflect and fire their imagination and creativity.

“Where better to think and talk about stories than in a story garden? The end result exceeded our expectations and we are very lucky.

“The Philips Avent team worked exceptionally well and I would like to thank all the parents and the Friends of Glemsford School who funded this wonderful project.”

Craig Bloomfield, process engineer at Philips Avent and project lead, said the work was part of the aim of the Glemsford-based company to support its local community.

He added: “We like to combine team-building with achieving something that is really rewarding for all.

“The school and Philips Avent have worked together before and we were delighted to support them on this amazing project.

“We are really pleased with how it looks and hope it will make a big difference for pupils at the school.”

The garden, which has a bespoke pergoda entrance, was also supported by Sudbury Garden Centre and Acton-based Patios & Posts.