60 acres of land across Stamford
Within our grounds we have two swimming pools, a wide range of playing fields, two sports centres, three floodlit astroturf pitches, as well as a dance studio, cricket nets and pavilion, and various courts for racket sports.
Looking after the grounds at Stamford goes beyond maintaining classic stripy lawns, cricket pitches and our 60 acres of sports fields. The Grounds Teams continue to work to support nature and improve the range of opportunities for wildlife to thrive around the sites; and it’s time to celebrate our mini nature reserves.
Richard Taylor (Gardens Supervisor) has a great passion for wildlife and nature, as well as a great deal of knowledge about which plants are of most benefit to the natural world around us, leading to many of the beds around the Schools being replanted, with more useful plants for wildlife.
Many different bird boxes have been set up around the Schools, including an owl box at Stamford Junior School. In addition there are bat boxes and solitary bee houses, as well. Log piles have been created in the outdoor area at SJS and mounds have been created in the site behind the old swimming pool to provide a habitat for mammals and other creatures.
Whilst not every part of the Schools can be a permanent home for nature, allowing certain areas to grow up for certain periods of the year can be extremely beneficial. For example, the Grounds Team may deliberately not mow a bank for a few months in the summer to allow the flowers to come through and provide habitats for insects, which in turn provides food for birds. Equally, the gardeners may leave some of the plants in a border standing over the winter, so that insects can shelter in the hollow stems. They will then be trimmed back in the spring as the new growth arrives.
