Green-fingered primary school children rallied round to plant flowers and herbs at Sandown station on Tuesday following recent vandalism.
Children and their teachers from Sandown Bay School filled planters with colourful blooms and native herbs, replacing plants removed or damaged by vandals earlier this year.
Wreckers had not only removed hanging baskets and other floral arrangements from outside the station and on the platform but they also damaged the station’s popular Gaslight café and toilet. It has all now been repaired.
Herbs were courtesy of lottery-funded Grow Wild at Kew Gardens and Alice Thorp, community gardens co-ordinator at Aspire, Ryde, helped plant them. Morrisons supermarket also donated plants.
Youngsters from the school had already planted ten fruit trees, given by Graham Deacon, of Deacon’s Nursery, Godshill, at the station.
Tuesday’s event, organised by Bill Wyke who runs the after school club Community Kids, was attended by Sandown North Cllr Debbie Andre and Community Rail Partnership Officer Bobby Lock-Dean.
Mr Wyke said the children did a wonderful job,
“They were really enthusiastic and with the help of their teachers replaced many damaged plants. The station looks a lot better now.”
Article submitted by Peter Gruner. Ed
