Today we celebrated the Grand Opening of our Sensory Garden!
Our much valued school Governor, Mr Anthony McGonnell, performed the ribbon cutting ceremony and declared the new sensory garden officially open.
We were lucky that the rain held off for the ceremonial ribbon cutting, and our parents, staff, pupils and members of our school community were able to enjoy meandering along the stepping stones through our Sensory Garden.
Our Parent Support Group and our teacher Mr Mc Erlean have been instrumental in ensuring the creation of the garden.
‘Friends of Cabragh’ who work tirelessly for the school, were able to secure funding from ‘The National Lottery Community Fund’ to purchase the polytunnel and to develop the Sensory Garden area and have helped make this project become a reality.
A special word of thanks to our teacher Mr Leon Mc Erlean, who co-ordinated the project and secured funding from ‘The Live Here Love Here Small Grants Scheme’ which helped us to further develop the Sensory Garden and improve our school environment.
A special thank you also to Ryan Cunningham, Seamus O’Neill, Plunkett Rafferty, Paddy and Claire Mc Killion, Mark Mulgrew, Christopher Quinn, and our building supervisor Mr Damien Hamill for giving so generously of their time and for helping to develop the Sensory Garden. None of this would have been possible without your help!
Thanks also to Brian Mulgrew and Acheson and Glover who donated the pavers for our garden and buddy bench area. The paving has really enhanced the garden.
I would like to highlight the fabulous work of our parent and artist Karina Avena who painted the stunning mural which takes centre stage in our Sensory Garden.
The Sensory Garden has been designed to encourage our children to interact with their environment and stimulate the five basic senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
The garden includes plants, flowers, trees, a herb garden, water features, wind-activated features such as the chime bars, sculptures, mirrors, stepping stones, and a variety of surface materials.
The garden includes a beautiful pergola, arbor gate and planters all made by our parent Ryan Cunningham. The pergola is a special area where the children can relax, spend time with friends, read a book and enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of the garden.
The Sensory Garden will not only allow the children to connect to nature but will encourage them to become more aware of their surroundings and enhance their sense of wellbeing, reducing stress and anxiety and calming the mind. It will be the perfect soothing escape for all of our school community.
This amazing project has highlighted the effective liaison between the school and the wider community. The Sensory Garden is an important addition to St Mary’s and we are very grateful to everyone who helped and supported the idea!
Thank you to everyone who came along today and we hope you enjoyed exploring our Sensory Garden.
