It was lovely to meet up with Mrs Strugnall on a warm afternoon out on the school farm area to catch up on progress with the air was full of birdsong while we were standing under the trees in bud. The mini-greenhouse is full of seeds and pots planted by the children and alpine strawberries and spring bulbs are thriving in raised “tyre” beds.

So much preparation work had been done since my last visit and the separated piles of scrub and brambles to be chipped or cleared was very impressive. The Easter holidays will be a busy time for the farm staff transporting all the rubbish cleared to the dump and removing stumps left in the ground ready for the pigs to move in. The donation from Lymington Yacht haven will be used to buy the pig trough and other funds will be used to erect a food storage unit. It is also hoped that the main external security fencing will go up during the holidays. Things will be looking very different for the summer term.

Mrs Strugnall is sourcing a polytunnel for the children to grow produce in raised beds and to include shelving and preparation areas. Many thanks for those who have donated seeds and a large selection of sturdy picket fencing and gates. Also, the ‘snowdrops in green’ that were given have been planted out.

The rescue hens should be arriving soon, and the children will be asked to suggest names for them (as for the pigs later). It is hoped that small financial donations can be made and linked to the daily needs of the animals e.g. £2.50 would feed the pigs or chickens for a day – every little helps!

It is hoped that Sparsholt college students will be coming to pond -dip and assess what is thriving in the pond and identify any further works needed. Links have also been made to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Waterways for their advice.

What is needed most urgently:-

• Compost

• One tonne rubble sacks or recycling sacks with handles – great for dragging things around and storage

• Seed potatoes

• More seeds or fruit bushes

Thanks for all the support and interest shown.

Suzanne – Nanna to Lara Rose in Gruffalo