A HAVEN for reflection has been created at a Rugby primary school.
The new Garden of Reflection at Bilton C of E Junior School has been officially opened and blessed by Chris Burgess from Rugby Youth for Christ.
The Garden of Reflection is a space at the edge of the playground that children can use to sit quietly, reflect and pray during playtimes and lunchtimes.
The project, described by the school as a ‘labour of love’, is the culmination of months of hard work and planning with a team from the school supported by helpers from Bilton Evangelical Church.
The Worship Leaders at the school were involved in the project from the beginning, offering ideas for how the space should look and what should be included.
Their ideas were collated to produce the final design, including colour schemes, seating and sensory plants to ensure that the space is calm and welcoming.
Junior Worship Leaders Isla and Eden said they were pleased with the results, addiing: “The Garden of Reflection is a calm space and is a great place to go to if you want some time to yourself or to pray.”
Teachers Nicola Vipond and Emma Spraget worked on the garden over two weekends, along with their families and Bilton Evangelical Church (BEC) youth group.
They cleared the area, painted walls, lay gravel and positioned a selection of plants, making the space feel homely and welcoming.
Nicola said she was grateful for the youngsters’ help, adding: “The team from BEC worked really hard and did an amazing job of clearing the space and then painting the walls. It gave the garden a great start and it is going to make such a difference to our children.”
Emma said: “It has been wonderful to be involved in the transformation of this area – and it is now lovely to see the children using it to reflect, pray or just to be still.”
Acting Headteacher Kate Webb was delighted with the space.
She said: “Thank you to our wonderful worship leadership group – which is made up of children from every class in the school – who worked together to come up with the ideas for this lovely space which we are all now able to share.”
