Stonehaven schoolchildren hope to grow bananas in a new solar-powered polytunnel built by the hard-working gents from the town’s Men’s Shed.
Volunteers from the Stonehaven Men’s Shed spent more than 200 hours building the new eco-friendly facility for the children of Mill O’ Forest Primary to help them learn about environmental issues and horticulture.
The polytunnel is entirely self-sufficient, as the “shedders” fitted it with a rainwater harvesting system to water the plants, and a solar-powered pump to get the water into holding tanks.
They hope the project will help the children to think sustainably.
How does it work?
Because the polytunnel was constructed quite a distance away from a water source, the team decided it would be best to use a rain collection system to keep the plants growing inside well-watered.
Bill Allan from the Men’s Shed group said: “One of our shedders had the idea of thinking, well if it’s so far from the school and water supplies, why don’t we harvest rainwater?
“And so, with it being a domed structure eight metres long, we decided to put guttering on it and came up with the idea of using a solar pump to pump water from the storage barrels outside, through in to a holding tank inside for the watering system.
“So it’s all self-sufficient, it doesn’t need any external power, nothing at all.
“The kids have been in already, and they’re excited, talking about growing bananas and everything.
“This school is very active on the environmental front, they’ve got planters round the school and they do encourage the children.”
Using recycled materials to inspire the younger generation
Bill explained that Stonehaven’s Men’s Shed likes to use recycled materials as much as possible when working on projects like this.
For the Mill O’ Forest polytunnel, the volunteers used 70 recycled slabs, and even utilised the wood the polytunnel was delivered on, with the aim of letting nothing go to waste.
The shedders hope their good example will encourage children to appreciate the environmental benefits of recycling, instead of letting waste go to landfill.
Bill continued: “In this particular case, the barrels are recycled, every piece of wood is recycled, and the pallet the polytunnel came on was used inside to make the shelves.
“It’s a really important thing for the shed, and it’s been great to see the teachers get right behind this and encourage the kids to care about environmental issues.”
Project will encourage kids to get into STEM subjects
Trish Marchant, the head teacher of the school, expressed her gratitude for the men putting “so much hard work” into the initiative.
She said: “All the extra parts, like the rainwater collection pumps, will help us to engage the children in learning about science, technology, engineering and maths as well as the environment and all of the benefits that come with outdoor learning.
“The project team has gone above and beyond in putting this together and we can’t wait to get growing.”
Hard work for the shedders
Bill explained that Duncan Cursiter, a trustee at the shed, oversaw the project.
Duncan thanked the volunteers who helped, in particular shedders Davie Ross and Mike McInally, for their hard graft hauling heavy materials, like the polytunnel’s slabs, for the project.
The project was also assisted with financial support from the Rotary Club of Stonehaven, who helped pay for the solar-powered pump and a backup hose connection.
Duncan said: “At the height of the work, six pairs of shedders hand-shifted one tonne of sand, plus about one and a half tonnes of slabs in three hours.
“At the end of the day, we have all had great satisfaction in doing something useful for the community whilst assisting children to contribute towards a better environment.”
