Education Link

The Society runs an Education Link programme. The programme was probably Peter Garnett’s idea in the first place. He firmly believed in making children aware and appreciative of their environment and its history, and thousands of young people have benefited from his years of dedicated work in this respect.

The Link awards grants to local schools for work they may be undertaking in local history or environmental studies. The eight primary schools in the area each receive £50 and the JMHS £150. Money has been used to help fund the creation of a school garden, to provide extra teaching materials for local history projects, for prizes for work in environmental studies and for a host of other related topics. The trustee responsible for running the scheme may be invited to visit schools to review progress or to present prizes for achievement, and the annual letter inviting schools to participate includes an offer of assistance if required.

Mary Winfield took over the Link from Peter some years ago, and as she says “ my offer of help came home to roost last year, in no uncertain terms. As a result, Hilary Starkey and I are preparing a group of pupils at Bromesberrow School for the annual Wildlife Quiz run by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. At present, this entails frequent visits to the school, as we only started work at the end of January and the first round has to be completed by the end of March. In the past, the school has won the competition, but we are not expecting miracles from the inexperienced staff! Once the first round is over, we shall arrange to meet just one lunchtime per week. Am I assuming an early exit? Perish the thought.

Hilary and I arrive armed with an assortment of books, specimens, quiz sheets, and marked work from the previous session. We have a mere twenty-five minutes to work with the children and the time flies past. I am very grateful to Rachel Padley, who ran the club for many years, whom I taught when she was at the Grammar School. She has given me the material that she used and this has formed a sound basis for the work we are doing. Fortunately, Hilary is a biologist, so her specialist skills are a godsend. My own input is based only on a lifetime of interest and observation,generated by my father.

If any members feel inspired to help with this project, Hilary and I would welcome them with open arms. A burden shared is a burden halved - not that the work is a burden, it is just a commitment that would be made easier with a bit of help."