Belfast schoolchildren learn importance of life and nature from sunflower donations
Schoolchildren from Belfast learned about the cycle of life and the importance of nature after a funeral arranger donated beautiful plants for them to care for to mark World Environment Day.
Liz Doherty, Funeral Arranger at James Brown & Sons Funeral Directors on Lisburn Road, sent 31 sunflowers for Year 6 pupils from Donegall Road Primary School to nurture over the summer, helping them understand the importance of nature for World Environment Day.
She said: “As a funeral arranger and wildlife enthusiast, I think nature shows just how beautiful and precious life is. I hope the children can also see this after caring for their own sunflowers and watching each stage of their growth over the coming weeks.”
Liz contacted Donegall Road Primary with her idea and immediately received interest from Miss Williams, whose Year 6 class happened to be studying the environment.
Liz had previously supported school pupils by sending sunflower seeds along with pots and compost. However, this time she germinated the seedlings herself to help Donegall Road Primary witness their full life cycles.
She said: “I began growing the sunflowers on my kitchen worktop but at first none grew. So I tried again and all 31 sprouted at the same time, ready for the children to take over.
“It was brilliant to see the sunflowers start off so well, and I hope the children will enjoy taking it from here.”
Liz and Mrs Johnston, Principal of Donegall Road Primary, plan to create a brighter seating space in the grounds of the school by populating it with more plants grown by pupils with the help of James Brown & Sons.
School children transform funeral home with wildlife display to help protect Hastings’ woodland
A funeral home was transformed with a wildlife display by Ore Community Land Trust (Ore CLT) and pupils of Sandown Primary School to help protect North East Hastings’ last green area from urbanisation, raising awareness in time for World Environment Day.
Speckled Wood is protected from development by Ore CLT, and Banfield & Pomphrey Funeral Directors’ striking window display on nearby Old London Road is grabbing the attention of local families and passers-by to help raise awareness of its importance.
Tony Hart, Funeral Director at Banfield & Pomphrey, said: “Banfield & Pomphrey is very fortunate being situated on Old London Road. Not only do we get a great view of the last green lung in North East Hastings, Speckled Wood, we’re also in a very busy area and can stand out with our window display.
“I can’t think of a more worthy cause to promote in the area for Word Environment Day than the preservation of Speckled Wood. We hope our transformed windows, thanks to the pupils of Sandown Primary, inspires the residents of Hastings to support the Ore Community Land Trust.”
Unlike much of Hastings, Speckled Wood has become greener over the last century, with a street that used to run through the woodland being demolished in the 1950s and allotments originally allocated to World War I soldiers being abandoned to nature in the 1960s.
Ore CLT was established in 2012 to ensure the woodland’s continued protection against urbanisation, with parts of the 13-acre woodland still being owned by various individuals and organisations.
Ore CLT has also been able to purchase its own plots of land in Speckled Wood to guarantee their preservation, thanks largely to grant funding from Big Local North East Hastings.
Jim Breeds, Chair of Ore CLT, said: “Every now and then someone tries to secure planning permission in Speckled Wood, which is where we come in to campaign for its preservation.
“We’ve been very successful to date. However, our work can only continue so long as the residents of Hastings support our cause, and Sandown Primary along with Banfield & Pomphrey have been a massive help in raising awareness.”
Jim approached Tony, a fellow Hastings Borough Bonfire society member, with the idea of utilising Banfield & Pomphrey’s prominent location for Ore CLT and was met with overwhelming support.
He then asked Sandown Primary for the help of its pupils in making colourful woodland drawings, models and paintings to display at Banfield & Pomphrey, and received more than he expected.
Kate Tugwell, Deputy Head at Sandown Primary, said: “There is a strong ‘Outdoor Learning’ ethos at Sandown and we embrace any opportunity to bring the natural world into our pupils’ wider experience. To be able to support the Speckled Wood project was a pleasure.”
Daring funeral director strapped to stunt plane in downpour raises over £1,000 for Devon hospice
Sandra Murphy, an Area Development Manager for Funeral Partners South West Area rode on the wings of a plane during heavy rain over Devon to support people with life-limiting illnesses.
Sandra, who is based at Torbay & District Funeral Service raised over £1,346 for Hospiscare, which includes Gift Aid donations, after being fastened to a Boeing Stearman biplane as it performed daring manoeuvres from 500ft through the rainy skies of Devon.
She said: “Rain against the skin at about 100 miles per hour while at 500ft felt like razor blades, but it didn’t take away from the overwhelming joy I felt about raising money for Hospiscare.
Torbay & District has supported Hospiscare for over a decade, such as by giving bereavement awareness talks to the families of its service users and organising fundraising events. However, restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 made traditional activities challenging to carry out.
Being no stranger to skydiving, Sandra decided to take her thrill-seeking to the next level and raise funds for Hospiscare through a sponsored, Covid-secure wing walk from Dunkeswell Airfield.
She said: “Hospiscare were over the moon with the idea, so they designed a poster advertising my fundraising page for us to hang in the window at Torbay & District, as well as a t-shirt for me to wear during the flight.”
Sandra lost three stone in preparation for the wing walk and received overwhelming support from the local community, including donations from Torquay Crematorium, Barton Bouquets, CCG Contractors, and the families served by Torbay & District, to exceed her £1,000 target.
She was able to see all over Devon as she rose to 500ft despite the wind and rain, before nosediving into a series of stunts. She described: “It was all very surreal, and even peaceful until I started turning sideways and vertically. But with my family watching below, I put on a brave face!”
Martin Stokke, Events Fundraiser at Hospiscare, said: “The moment I spoke to Sandra, her enthusiasm and intentions were obvious. She wanted to make a real difference to the lives of local people, whilst taking on the challenge of a lifetime. She didn’t disappoint! Thanks to Sandra, her colleagues at Torbay & District and everyone who supported her fantastic fundraising efforts.”
Sandra is now considering a joint wing walk with her daughter, Jade Cross, Funeral Arranger at Maunders Funeral Service in Paignton, who has inherited her mother’s adventurous streak.
Sandra concluded: “Jade was very jealous of my wing walk, so we’ll have to plan a mother-daughter fundraiser soon. “Sandra lost three stone in preparation for the wing walk and received overwhelming support from the local community, including donations from Torquay Crematorium, Barton Bouquets, CCG Contractors and the families served by Torbay & District, to exceed her £1,000 target.
She was able to see all over Devon as she rose to 500ft despite the wind and rain, before nosediving into a series of stunts. She described: “It was all very surreal, and even peaceful until I started turning sideways and vertically. But with my family watching below, I put on a brave face!”
Martin Stokke, Events Fundraiser at Hospiscare, said: “The moment I spoke to Sandra, her enthusiasm and intentions were obvious. She wanted to make a real difference to the lives of local people, whilst taking on the challenge of a lifetime. She didn’t disappoint! Thanks to Sandra, her colleagues at Torbay & District and everyone who supported her fantastic fundraising efforts.”
Sandra is now considering a joint wing walk with her daughter, Jade Cross, Funeral Arranger at Maunders Funeral Service in Paignton, who has inherited her mother’s adventurous streak.
Sandra concluded: “Jade was very jealous of my wing walk, so we’ll have to plan a mother-daughter fundraiser soon.”
