For children at a Weston All Saints Church of England Primary School (WASPS) in Bath, money does grow on trees – or at least tomato plants. The school has been raising funds through the ‘Grow a Pound’ initiative. To date the pupils have generated over £1,000 from sales of goods, including tomato plants, with more funds due shortly.
In May every pupil was given £1, kindly donated by sponsor, Bath-based Henny & Joes. This was the starting block to create goods or services that would generate more money for the school.
Barney in Year 6 used his investment to buy and grow tomato seeds. He explained, “I learnt how it takes some time but it will be worth the money and the tomatoes.”
Barney sold his tomato plants at a stall at Green Park Station. Alongside his plants, Thalia, Izzy and Ida (Year 6) were selling popcorn and candy floss, having leased the machines for £1 each. Children also washed cars, sold homemade lemonade and kimchi, and much more!
Although she will be leaving WASPS at the end of this term, Thalia wanted to raise money to buy play equipment for other students. She said, “We want the school to have more after we leave, so people can have more equipment to play on.”
Ida added, “We want more fun for the next generation.”
Grow Your Pound has been organised by WASPS PTA. This is the second year of organising the fundraising initiative. Last year more than £3,000 was raised.
Emma D’Aubyn, WASPS PTA Committee Member, commented, “Grow Your Pound has been one of the most exciting projects for me being on the WASPS PTA. It encourages the children to think about running a business and what could be achieved if you start with very little and work hard. It’s inspired several of the children to continue running their own little businesses outside of school and hopefully we’ve inspired some entrepreneurs of the future. A massive thank you to Henny & Joes, a local company who brought the idea to us and sponsored the event’.
Matthew Norcott, Head Teacher at WASPS, added, “I’m so proud of all the children at WASPS who have used their own creativity and ingenuity to grow something small into such a huge achievement. It’s been wonderful to hear their ideas and see how they have enjoyed taking on this challenge. I also want to thank the school’s PTA who have worked so hard on this initiative.”
