Sheffield Girls' Year 12 students successfully run their event 'Tales of the Garden'

At the end of last term, a team of 10 plant-tastic Year 12 students successfully ran their first public event ‘Tales of the Garden’ located in, and in partnership with, The Botanical Gardens in Sheffield. As part of our Sixth Form Forging Futures Enrichment Program, the project ‘Botanical Bonanza’ was created to help develop our Year 12 students’ knowledge of business and events management, helping them develop their time management, communication and organisational skills. 

This new element of the Forging Futures Enrichment Programme has allowed our students to host their fantastic event with complete autonomy. After planning with Dr Laura Alston, Education and Engagement Officer at the Botanical Gardens and Mrs Metcalfe-Murgatroyd, our Head of Careers, the girls chose ‘Tales of the Gardens’ for the event name, with ‘reconnecting with our roots’ as the focus for activities. The event was centred around a physical journey of The Botanical Gardens exploring its rich history, whilst encouraging local families to consider the significance of green spaces, and how to protect them through recycling, conservation and climate awareness.

With multiple engaging stalls placed across the stretch of the gardens, over 350 guests enjoyed interactive and informative activities. From the creation of bear masks, animal mosaics and rock painting, to literary reflections, ‘Tales of the Gardens’ pushed sustainable education whilst ensuring family fun. Local parents commented: "Green spaces are so important, thank you for helping my children associate them with fun" and "So fascinating to learn about the Botanical Gardens through creative activities". We couldn’t be happier with the event's feedback and success!

Purposefully delivered on the date and time of Earth Hour, the event was planned to educate whilst giving back. Our wonderful Year 12 students created the opportunity for younger guests to plant sunflowers, which was an amazing step in sparking an interest in gardening for children and families, whilst giving back to the environment. With at least 150 sunflowers planted we can’t wait to see them flourish this summer.

'Tales of the Garden’ was a wonderful stepping stone for our Year 12 students. Emily in Year 12 said: “I really loved the whole process, and it was so fulfilling to see everyone’s hard work come to life on the day. I can’t believe that we really organised an event where over 350 people turned up. It’s incredible”. 

Mrs Metcalfe-Murgatroyd, Head of Careers, said: “Giving the students the opportunity to develop their employability skills by panning, pitching, and organising a real public event is fantastic. We cannot thank the Botanical Gardens more for allowing us to work with them on this project”.

Our fantastic Year 11 students from the creative writing club also volunteered their time to help at the event, demonstrating the emphasis we place on peer support and teamwork at Sheffield Girls’. We are delighted to have developed such a fruitful partnership with the Botanical Gardens and look forward to this becoming an annual tradition.