Eco Lodge Nears Completion

Haddenham St Mary's School Eco Lodge

The first stage of build of the Eco Lodge at St Mary's CE School is now nearing completion, and to recognise this achievement local MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, paid a visit to the school on Friday May 10th.

St Mary's CE School has already achieved the Green Flag Award, the highest accreditation under the international Eco-School programme. It will shortly have a fully functioning Eco Lodge to add to its Green credentials.

Head Teacher Karen Collett and her staff are particularly excited to be the first school in Buckinghamshire to have a sustainable building in their own grounds, enabling pupils to learn more about the environment and ways to be environmentally friendly.

The lodge is designed to provide opportunities for memorable learning outside the traditional classroom setting, and its location on the edge of the school grounds, immediately adjacent to surrounding farmland, will help to raise awareness of a close relationship with the natural environment. The lodge will also have solar panels and water collection and re-cycling facilities, helping to demonstrate a more responsible approach to the use of energy and water resources.

The Eco Lodge will also enable Haddenham St Mary's to become a training school for local schools to come and learn about their environment and how to look after it. It will also provide a wonderful resource for the local community, providing a delightful building in which local groups (e.g., Brownies, Cubs and local charitable organisations) can meet, without the need to hire the whole school.