Little Grange Nursery is a proud winner of this year's Schools Rugby in Bloom Awards.

This year's theme was the Olympics, and Little Grange Nursery took centre stage with their fantastic gardening efforts, impressing judges and earning the top prize. The children and staff at the nursery have been busy since February, nurturing seeds and growing their own vegetables. From learning about plant life cycles to caring for mini beasts, the young gardeners gained invaluable hands-on experience.

“We started by planting seeds, learning about their different sizes, shapes, and colours,” Little Grange nursery manager, Anna Biddlestone, shared. “As the months went by, we also planted vegetables like radishes and spring onions, and the children were always eager to water the seedlings as they noticed them growing each day.”

The nursery’s garden thrived thanks to the children’s care and attention. As the plants flourished, Little Grange even set up a plant stall, allowing parents and children to take home some of the nursery’s seedlings to grow in their own gardens. A produce stall was also arranged, showcasing the vegetables the children had grown and encouraging families to try the homegrown produce.

The children’s enthusiasm for gardening extended to learning about the creatures that share the garden with them, from ladybird larvae to other mini beasts that play an essential role in keeping the garden healthy. The children even studied the life cycle of a ladybird, gaining insight into how the larvae eat aphids before growing into fully-fledged ladybirds. They loved measuring how big the plants had grown, and even used the giant rhubarb leaves as umbrellas when it rained!

Little Grange Nursery embraced the Olympic theme wholeheartedly. The children created a Paris-themed display featuring a replica Eiffel Tower, Olympic rings made out of planters, and an Olympian scarecrow. They also explored the symbolism behind the five Olympic rings, learning what each colour represents.

For Little Grange Nursery, it was an unforgettable experience, topped off with gold-medal inspiration from Rugby’s very own Olympian, Lauren Henry, at the awards ceremony last week.