i want to set up a container allotment for our ks1 and have been given the glorious sum of £50 from school fund (whoopeee)
i've already emailed a few local garden centres about sponsorship, and notes are going out to parents for donations, and i'm freecycling for donations too...

anyone else set one up? any advice or ides?

it's my idea, so i'm on my own (there's a surprise!)
thanks everybody

Hi pops, I started this thread in useful links

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You might find some useful stuff there.

I run a gardening club within the special school that I am based and the kids love it.

Good luck with it

Rather than e-mail your local garden centre it's better to pop in and hand over the details personally. Maybe take a few pictures of the children working. Also try your local DIY stores they might give you some tools and materials as well. Ask the parents or grandparents to help out. Grandparents are a specially good I find and it's nice for the children to have the interaction with them. You could also ask for any extra seedlings, people who grow there own have. I know I always more than I need and they end up down at school.

One point though make sure if you're messing about in soil and maybe manure that your tetanus jab is up to date. The children's should be but adults often forget about their own.

Other areas which you might find help are local non-profit and community businesses as well as well as the department responsible for parks and gardens in your local authority.

For instance we have a local non-profit business which trains local people as gardeners. They are often given bulbs/seeds from others who have overstocked.

I know the school status thing can sometimes exclude you from certain type of funding but you may be eligible for small local grants, or grants from some of the bigger funders.

Some of the larger diy stores like to be seen being involved in their local communities and it could be worth contacting them and ask if they can help.

Another thought is if you have a local market, some stall holders may be happy to help out. One local street market I know of is very proud of their support of their local primary school.

The same with some of the larger companies, banks, insurance companies etc It certainly doesn't hurt their reputation. Even smaller local offices of some companies workers are often happy to raise funds for local people. If you don't have a high number of children who are entitled to free meals it might be worth doing a letter to parents to ask if their employers would be happy for staff to do things to help raise money, if you can give a list of what you want and how much it costs it might help. ie they may be more willing if they can raise the money and donate items rather then cash.

thankyou all so much!
really helpful.

I know it's too late in season now but you could try for next year.
I'm the ECO coordinator at my school and am always on the look out for anything free, recycled etc.
We had tomato plants from B & Q as part of link below

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these gave us some potatoes to trial, I think these do it every year.

Once you get on lists they'll get in touch about possible furture give aways.
Hope you continue to 'grow'!

We got some from The year of farming as well... I too would suggest local traders and those Grandparents can be great!