St Paul's Primary Playground Goes from Grey to Green

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New bee-themed garden and woodland help to beat pollution at Hammersmith school

St Paul's Primary School in Worlidge Street, close to the Hammersmith Gyratory, is being given a pollution-busting eco-friendly makeover.

The school has recently unveiled its new bee-themed garden, pictured above, which gives pupils a greener outdoor space for play and education.

The makeover, part of a wider project aimed at improving air quality, will also include a 'woodland garden' at the school’s entrance.

The new garden includes a mini woodland with numerous saplings that will grow tall and ivy covered green screens.

The work was done through the charity Trees for Cities'  scheme, Planting Healthy Air in Schools and was part-funded by H&F Council and the Mayor of London.

!We are thrilled to finally have our completed woodland which is the product of many months of hard work and input from so many partners and supporters," said Claire Fletcher, Headteacher at St Paul’s.

"We truly have a green space to enable learning to flourish; improve air quality and provide a legacy for many children for years to come."

On its website, Trees for Cities says of St Paul's: "In 2017, the school was ranked the second highest polluted in the Mayor's air quality audit of 50 primary schools in London.

"With it being situated next to two busy roads – Hammersmith Flyover and Hammersmith Bridge Road, which carry over 100,000 vehicles per day, pupils are exposed to high levels of noise and air pollution.

"To solve the issue, the school community took action, starting the #GreyGoesGreen campaign to raise awareness of the air quality issue, and bolster support to transform their school grounds. Trees for Cities is proud to be working with the school to bring their visions for a new woodland to life.

"Before the project started, the school grounds were predominantly bare and grey. A key aim of the project was to make them greener, improve air quality and school life for pupils. We’re embarking on this project because pupils at the school stand to benefit from access to enhanced green space, not only improving the quality of the air they breathe, but also making their time at school more enjoyable with a new woodland for them to learn and play in."

Outside the school. the #GreyGoesGreen theme is continuing with colourful foliage-themed artworks being added to Hammersmith Flyover's grey concrete pillars,

Last year, the first part of the project involved the installation of ivy green screens alongside the Hammersmith Gyratory, along with several large flower planters.

The plans, which also include a new bike parking hub, aim to encourage more active travel, while adding oxygen-boosting plants and shrubs.

The work complements the new parklets in Hammersmith Grove, long grass alongside Talgarth Road and the two proposed new cycle routes through Hammersmith.

"We’re working hard with residents and schools to create a borough where children have clean air," said Cllr Wesley Harcourt, H&F Cabinet Member for Environment.

“The new garden and greenery are just a few of the innovative ways we can make central Hammersmith greener and more pleasant again."

 

May 10, 2019