Visit from Shooters Hill College
It was a pleasure to welcome a group of students and staff from Shooters Hill Sixth Form College to the Garrison Church on 20 January. Ruth McCulloch has been bringing her students (aged 16 to 19) to the garden during the summer for several years, and we are now delighted to extend these visits into the winter months. The 20th January marked the first visit of the New Year.
These sessions are organised by Jane Bonwick, to whom we – and Shooters Hill Sixth Form College – owe our sincere thanks. The students have a range of additional needs, but they are always enthusiastic, cheerful, and clearly enjoy their time in the Garrison Church Garden.
Each visit now follows a familiar routine. The session begins with everyone sitting together in the garden to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, coffee, or tea and plan the tasks that need to be completed. After this, the students can take part in some gardening tasks, such as pulling up dead plants and taking them by wheelbarrow to the waste heap, raking gravel, and picking up litter and fallen leaves.
The staff who accompany the group are unfailingly kind, considerate, and supportive, offering help and encouragement as the students complete their tasks.
The session ends with a small treat – a bag of crisps, a chocolate bar, and a can of Pepsi Max (generously provided by Jane) – followed by friendly goodbyes as we all share how much we are looking forward to the next visit, weather permitting.
We greatly value our link with Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, which forms an important part of the Garrison Church’s commitment to engaging with people with additional needs.
