We’re delighted to announce that we have been awarded £5k in the Persimmon Homes’ Building Futures – whilst we didn’t win the top prize, we are overwhelmed with all the support shown by you, our supporters, regularly voting on-line for Martineau Gardens and sharing the initiative with friends and colleagues.
Our plans
With our new Persimmon windfall, we plan to redevelop the play area, updating and repairing the Pirate Shipwreck area to enhance the natural play experience. We’ll restore the popular Wheelhouse, improve the sandpit and furnish with eco-friendly play equipment – the refurbishment will be in keeping with our commitment to consider the environment and wildlife in all we do. The winter months are an ideal time to begin this work.
However, this is only the start of the redevelopment. The grassed surface area of the play area will always be problematic – bare and bald in summer and muddy and frequently awash in winter. There is a seam of clay and rubble below the surface, left over from the days when this was the recreation area for the trainee teachers attending the Martineau Teaching Centre, (see Our History: the current play area housed a tennis court and our pavilion was its sports pavilion). To ensure our redevelopment is sustainable, we need more funds to invest in proper drainage.
Share your views
You can help us with our plans by filling out our survey on-line here: http://bit.ly/2Q7MbQT
Family activities – making dragonfly wings 
School session – plant identification 
Learning through play – bark rubbings
Connecting Birmingham children and nature … our future
The pandemic has reduced many aspects of our lives – here at Martineau Gardens we’re striving to help children reconnect to the natural world. Over lockdown and the subsequent months, we’ve been delivering on-line events and activities to help families get close to the nature on their doorstep, as part of their daily exercise. As we look with hope to the future, we are gradually returning visitor to the Gardens after our temporary closure (see Mondays at Martineau), and with the reopening of schools we’re looking forward to welcoming school visits back.
Education at Martineau Gardens
Environmental education has always been important at Martineau Gardens. Hundreds of school children have made visits to Martineau Gardens – our education officer delivers taught sessions which encourage children to explore diverse habitats and hunt for invertebrates; learn about the natural world and wildlife; discover where food comes from (and how good it tastes) in the vegetable plots and orchard; understand the important role of bees and butterflies in pollination and generally have fun while learning. Primary school children on educational visits have enjoyed playing in our shipwreck play area during their lunch break.
Family activities
Martineau Gardens is a safe and an inclusive space that offers play without cost, within an area of extreme economic disparity. We all know you’re never too young to benefit from time spent outside – our play area at Martineau Gardens has been a well-used, much loved area providing opportunity for children to engage their imagination and improve their wellbeing at the same time. Using the natural landscape and features of the Gardens in play, whether it’s hide and seek, sandpit constructions, picnics or pirate fun – families connect with nature and each other. Our family activities during the school holidays feature environmental play and crafts, introducing them to the wonder of outdoor adventure. We look forward to the time when we can welcome back our family visitors.
About the prize
Persimmon Homes, with the support of Team GB, gave away over £1 million in 2020 to help projects for young people aged under 18 across England, Wales and Scotland. Martineau Gardens was one of the 87 finalists to win £5,000 – thank you to everyone who voted for us.