Famous Author Amongst Us

[Cheerypeabrain]

WELL DONE 4P

Has everyone seen it? our very own 4P has written the STAR letter in February's GW magazine....can I have your autograph?
I am SO impressed...I don't know anybody else famous...

I am well pleased and think it's BRILLIANT (OBE next? DAME 4P?) You work sooooo hard organising the garden club...well done chuck

BIG LOVES
Bumfxxx

PS What you going to spend the vouchers on then? ;D

[sweetleaf]

Wicked news! I havent got my copy yet but I will tomorrow, oooh cant wait, Ill ask OH to pick one up for me on his way home. ;D



4P

[Chuckles]

Well done 4P how fantastic your little star. Is this the March issue I must get it. I used to have a subscription several years ago but it got a bit samey year after year.

Let me know which issue someone please I'll get OH to get it tomorrow

[Cheerypeabrain]

It's the February issue Chuckles X

[Plocket]

Hang on a mo I need to go and get my mag.....

Oh wow!!! The concrete invasion letter? You are such a STAR!!!!! Autograph please!!!

[Deleted]

Ooooh must get a copy...just finished reading the January one!

[Cheerypeabrain]

Nah...it's the one titled 'A growing success' page 110... ;D

[oldmoleskins]

Well done 4P - since you presumably still have it locked within the red-hot computer you pound, any chance of bunging it on here so we can all read it?

OM.

[4pygmies]

Thanks everyone for noticing... ;D (That Cheery - she's as subtle as a subtle thing! XX) You could have knocked me down with a feather this morning...having had a really terrible month it's lovely to have a bit of good news. I was inordinately thrilled I must admit! Never won that much money (um or any...) in my life and because it's in vouchers I've got to go to a GC to spend it - it's a toughie, isn't it??? COO!
It was only me doing my normal mouthing off about my gardening club OM - trying to encourage other parents or gardeners to do something similar. I feel very strongly about it....with our kids gardening, the future's bright, the future's green (I hope)!

[Juliet]

Well done, 4P!

I saw it the other day & thought it might be you, but didn't like to ask in case you didn't want it made public. But now CPB's blown the gaff, I can break out the . Congratulations!

[4pygmies]

Typical! I've got a moral dilemma! I told some of the other Mums about my letter and they all assumed I'd be spending my vouchers on the school garden... ! What shall I do? I've already spent quite a bit more than £100 of my own money there over the last 18 months (pots, plants, bags of compost, seeds etc etc) and I DID get a grant of nearly £5000 for them - I feel a bit miffed that I can't spend my vouchers on my own garden now without feeling incredibly guilty.......what shall I do? I didn't write the letter because I hoped to win the Star letter - it never entered my head it would even be printed! Nothing is ever straightforward for me !

[Chuckles]

Well they shouldn't assume, and you shouldn't feel guilty either 4P. You should tell them you intend to use it yourself to part cover your out of pocket expenses over the last 18 months. Maybe they are not aware that you have bought pots, plants, bags of compost, seeds etc.

Go enjoy the voucher is my suggestion ....

You deserve it

[Deleted]

oldmoleskins said:

Well done 4P - since you presumably still have it locked within the red-hot computer you pound, any chance of bunging it on here so we can all read it?

OM.

Great idea OM as I don't have the GW mag anymore

Brilliant 4P

[4pygmies]

Well, here it is then, at OM's & Rita's request (feels a bit like bragging, this :
Dear GW, I'm writing this to share my experiences of starting a school gardening club. My youngest daughter (age 6) attends a medium sized country village school in Norfolk. Last Spring, being a passionate gardener and keen to get children interested, I set up a table during lunchtime at the school with a bag of compost (peat free), some pots and a selection of easy to grow seeds ranging from annuals to vegetables. I was completely inundated with children keen to sow and see what happened and I continued thus for several weeks.
From this enthusiastic reception I decided to start a small gardening club which was very well attended from the start. Initially we just grew flowers and veggies to sell at our PTA events but after consultation with the headmistress and with a small group of dedicated mums we decided to apply for a Lottery grant and use it to make our school grounds more attractive and more useful as a teaching resource. It was a rather tedious and protracted procedure but we were thrilled to be awarded a grant of £4,850. With this we are buying a greenhouse, cold frame and essential equipment. We are setting up 3 raised ponds in our wildlife area and planting a small orchard. We will build a composting area and weather station and have plans for a quiet, sensory garden. Whatever's left of our grant will be used to make raised beds, improve borders and generally make the grounds a nicer place to be in.
It's early days yet and we are only just starting to get ourselves organised for the hard landscaping and heavy work but I would really like to urge anyone to do something similar at their own children's schools, or to join in if a club already exists. With all the worries about our childrens diet, health and the environment I cannot think of a better way to foster awareness, make our children healthier and happier and hopefully encourage the next generation to make a better job of looking after the planet than we have!
Pat Welsh

No murderers or perverts PLEASE now I've published my surname!
It's nothing special but definitely heartfelt.
Anybody out there fancy having a go at it?

[oldmoleskins]

4pygmies said:

Typical! I've got a moral dilemma! I told some of the other Mums about my letter and they all assumed I'd be spending my vouchers on the school garden... ! What shall I do? I've already spent quite a bit more than £100 of my own money there over the last 18 months (pots, plants, bags of compost, seeds etc etc) and I DID get a grant of nearly £5000 for them - I feel a bit miffed that I can't spend my vouchers on my own garden now without feeling incredibly guilty.......what shall I do? I didn't write the letter because I hoped to win the Star letter - it never entered my head it would even be printed! Nothing is ever straightforward for me !

4P I think you're stuffed on the voucher front, what a shame... the letter was about the project, and if you all have previously (albeit tacitly, albeit mainly you) agreed not to reimburse yourselves once the grant money arrived, it's set a fundraising protocol that sort of diverts all project-related revenue to the fund.
Quite rightly you will have been chuffed just to see the letter published. You still have that wonderful feeling of accomplishment - but the 'cash' award that went with it will be seen by the others as project money, another donation...so, the diplomatic way forward would be to get the first colleague that doesn't assume you'll be converting your vouchers to funds to spread the word among the others - I just hope they're generous enough to see it that way. They may surprise you yet, but don't hold your breath.

Congrats again, nice to get some wider recognition for a very worthwhile project.
OM

[Plocket]

Well I'm glad I've got the right letter to read now - thanks for clarifying that for me!!!

And don't you DARE give the money to the school garden. It was you who had the sense to write the letter - not the other mothers, and I bet they don't help that much with it either. You've got a wonderful grant for that garden and don't get paid for doing any of the work - you look at that £100 as your wages! If you really do feel guilty about it have a chat with someone neutral at the school and see what they say.

Whatever you decide, make sure you don't do it out of guilt.

px

[Susie Snowdrop]

Wow 4P, that's fantastic, well done you......

YOU won the vouchers, YOU deserve to treat yourself for all of your very hard work.

S x

[sweetleaf]

I agree with Susie and Plocket, you deserve to spend the vouchers on your own garden, you have spent time on this project which a more selfish person would have spent on their own garden.
Your garden has been relegated to second place and this in turn has upset you . Im sure this stroke of luck was intended for you not the club.

Heres how to tell ......does the envelope have your name or the name of the project upon it?
Nuff said. ;D

[Spruance]

Congratulations 4P ;D

As OM says it is nice to see wider recognition of a very worthwhile project.

Who knows, it might give you some extra leverage with grant funding.

[4pygmies]

I dunno....most of the effort with plants, materials and time has been mine and all the direction and "teaching" is my job - the other Mum's just supervise the small groups working really. I don't know that there's ever been any discussion about who's paid for all the stuff we used before the grant - I think nobody cared! The reimbursed money would have come from the PTA of which I am an active member so it always seemed silly to be fund raising on one hand but claiming expenses with the other. I did wonder whether I could reach a compromise and buy a selection of herbaceous plants and shrubs which I could then use part of at the school to show propagation techniques and life cycles etc - plants I want in my garden! The grant money is more than enough to cover purchase of all the fruit trees and herbs we need. In fact I HAVE to use the grant money for the things specified in the grant application or we may have to pay it back and as I always erred on the generous side for costs there will be a few hundred left over for extras anyway.
Sorry, am I rambling? Ho hum....

[sweetleaf]

The vouchers are yours 4P



Sorry if Im shouting but I see no moral dilemma here, you will no doubt be propagating from the plants you get and I have no doubt the school will profit both from the plant material and your experience. ;D

[Cheerypeabrain]

Excuse me....but if any of these other Mums had written a letter to a magazine about the project would they donate the prize? methinks not. I think that as you get on really well with the head teacher, you should have a quiet word with her. You put in a LOT of time, donated plants, seed, compost and GOOD WILL by the bucket load, and you fired up the teachers and parents into taking the whole idea that step further. I am sure that all the teachers will quite rightly accept and WANT you to keep your hard earned vouchers. X keep us updated sweetie

[Deleted]

Well done 4P, you deserve those vouchers. It's not as though you were asked to write on behalf of the group! Maybe it's time some of the other mums gave some items too....seed trays etc...perhaps a letter asking for donations as you've been donating etc to make them aware that you have been doing your bit!

4P you may be interested in this which has been started by someone in the same mind as you....

petitions.pm.gov.uk/schoolplots/

[Deleted]

You have earned those tokens, just enjoy them with no second thoughts, I'm sure that bits of your garden find there way to school anyway. What a good addition to the routine primary schools have to follow these days, lucky children. Thanks for putting your letter on here.

[Juliet]

I agree with everyone else, 4P - those vouchers were sent to you, not to the project fund - you keep 'em & don't feel guilty about it. If anyone gets snooty about it, do what Busy Bee said:

greety said:

You should tell them you intend to use it yourself to part cover your out of pocket expenses over the last 18 months.

- explain that you have already spent a lot of your own money on the school at the expense of your own garden & it's really nice to have something to spend on yourself for once. And if they don't like that, ask them if they'd care to fork out the same amount you have to further the project ...

But if you can do it in a friendly & diplomatic way, via a neutral party, as others have suggested, it might be easier!

[4pygmies]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone! I think I will prolly buy a goodly selection of perennials which I will split and use at school and in my long neglected flower garden at home. And lots of seeds so we can grow them at school and I'll keep some of the plants for myself.
I have a picture in my head of a BIG sunflower border all along the front of the school sheds (we painted them moss green) with a mixture of giants and those gorgeous shorter red/orange/chocolate ones all growing together. Three classrooms overlook the garden so I think that'll be a fantastic show for them!
Some of you might recall that I want a prairie flower garden in my garden this year so I may adapt the school garden and buy a selection of the plants for both..... I could lose one or two of the worst behaved kids in there too......
I think that's a fair compromise. Yes?

[Chuckles]

Sounds an ideal solution to me 4P, you are sooooooooooo clever

[sweetleaf]

greety said:

Sounds an ideal solution to me 4P, you are sooooooooooo clever

Agreed! ;D

[Alicat]

Hi 4P

Congratulations

Sorry i'm late with my congratulations But very much mean't.

I agree with Chuckles and Sweetleaf.

You have worked very hard for the school and deserve the vouchers. - I wish you all the best. keep up the good work.

Alicat.

[Jonah]

That is wonderful 4P!
It sounds like you are doing some great work, I know you've mentioned it before, but until I saw that I didn't realise how hard you were working and how passionate you were about it. We need more mums to inspire us like you.

Don't suppose there is any chance of the school letting you do a blog about it is there?