Chiswick House
Cultivating a lifelong interest in the environment
Three-hundred-year-old Chiswick House sits among 65 acres of gardens in the heart of west London. Just next door is Cavendish Primary School, which doesn’t have any green space of its own. But what the school does have is plenty of young people keen to spend time outdoors and learn more about the environment. So the neighbours decided to join forces on the ‘Meet Me at the Gates’ project.
Cavendish Primary School pupils get to enjoy hands-on lessons about plants and biodiversity, at the same time as helping improve the look and environmental credentials of one of the entrances to Chiswick House.
- Over 80% of young people are eager to take action to help the environment (UK Gov, Oct 2021).
- 172 pupils. and approximately 100 families will take part in the gardening project at Chiswick House.
- The Meet Me at the Gates’ project supports the UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and its target to improve the environment within a generation.
Developing green space together
Our grant of £23,315 is funding part of the second phase of the ‘Meet Me at the Gates’ project. This involves a series of workshops showing pupils how to prepare seedlings and plant small shrubs, saplings and semi-mature trees, which will form the basis of the long-term sustainable planting at Chiswick House.
Pupils will continue to learn about plant science, habitats and eco-systems through hands-on gardening activities – including a small summer holiday gardening club where pupils and their parents maintain flower beds around Chiswick House.
“This project is genuinely transformational for the Trust and Cavendish Primary School. We have co-designed it with the school to ensure every child can take part, have hands-on experience supporting their learning about the environment and we hope to stimulate their passion as our future environmental champions. The outcomes of their work will also enhance the biodiversity, carbon capture and visual interest at one of our key entrances to the gardens.”
More Success Stories
Bankside Open Spaces Trust
Walworth Garden
