Writhlington Orchid Project
Fancy becoming a world expert in Orchids? Or undertaking specialised research in India, Africa or South America? Well it's all possible at Writhlington Secondary school in Somerset. Thanks to the help of an innovative teacher who started this project seventeen years ago, students at the school are learning about botany and social enterprise at the same time.
"I joined the greenhouse club in Year 7. I enjoy the responsibility and talking to people interested in my plants" - Marc is in charge of Maxillarias
Having recently returned with a gold medal from Chelsea, these students have a lot to talk about. It all started with one teacher, Simon Pugh-Jones who saw an opportunity and took it. An empty greenhouse on the school's site was in need of care and Simon, having been a keen gardener and orchid grower since childhood, set up a greenhouse club.
The greenhouse club first ran only at lunchtimes and after school, growing annuals for hanging baskets and freesias as cut flowers. The club's orchid collection started when a student's relative donated a collection of old cymbidium hybrids.
As the collection has grown, more and more students have wanted to join the club and volunteer every spare minute they have. Every student who joins the greenhouse club is given the responsibility for a genus or group of plants. The project is developing innovative approaches to conservation through social enterprise and co-operation on a global scale. The project also involves hundreds of students through vocational courses and extra-curricular activities.
Luke looks after the Zygopetalums. "I love working with plants and doing the lab work too. I am planning a career in horticulture."
Not only do the students become orchid experts in their own right but they also get the opportunity to take part in tropical expeditions and scientific research worldwide. When they return, some students are then asked to lecture and share their knowledge across the UK.
The Orchid project runs as a social enterprise. The orchids are grown from seed in sterile conditions on nutrient agar jelly. Seeds germinate in 2/4 weeks. After about 2 years, the seedlings are large enough to take out of the jar. At this stage the group sell them individually for £5. The money is split 3-ways; 1. Money is used to buy equipment and packaging for the orchids; 2. Money is put aside to help the students finance their trips abroad and 3. Money is send to the international projects the schools works in association with.
The discipline of regular care, preparing and showing plants, as well as dealing with the public's questions help develop pupils' confidence and improves key skills like communication. The club is open to students of all abilities. Simon also believes that working with orchids has prevented several pupils from being suspended or expelled while opening new career paths and aspirations to many more. "A lot of students now know they are going to university to do botany or plant science and they will often be the first generation of their family to do so," he says proudly.
"It shows the students they can be among the best in their field and this has had huge knock-on effects for the aspirations of the whole school," says Simon.
Simon has also found that the school's recent high profile in the media, including appearances on BBC TV's Blue Peter and the news coverage of pupils supplying orchids to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street, have positive effects on the students. The club's next big project is to raise money to build a larger greenhouse and an orchid educational centre for the public on the school's site.
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