Canning Town pupils grow hyacinths to blow away winter blues

Hard-working pupils of Rokeby School, in Barking Road, Canning Town, have been growing hyacinths and delivering them to classrooms to add some colour to the dark winter days.

The boys work hard tending to the young plants. Picture: Ron Lamb - Credit: Archant

Hard-working pupils of Rokeby School, in Barking Road, Canning Town, have been growing hyacinths and delivering them to classrooms to add some colour to the dark winter days.

Earlier in the year, the students formed an Eco-Committee to maintain an unused area at the back of the school, previously covered in weeds, into a flourishing allotment and orchard.

They tend to the plot at lunchtimes and are developing work in the eco garden to build a raised pond, wild flowers to attract bees and encourage urban pollination, and maintain young apple trees as part of the school’s orchard.

The area also has compost bins that collect food waste from the school canteen that are used along with water butts to make the area as environmentally friendly as possible.

With the support of the Newham Hearty Lives project, their hard work was recognised by the London Children’s Flower Society when they awarded the Rokeby School students a silver medal in their annual summer gardening competition.