Our Compost Demonstration Sites are growing!

Students at The Queen Katharine School in Kendal are not just swotting up on their curriculum subjects – they’re also learning how to compost.

More than 20 students are taking action via the school’s Outdoor Learning Project at nearby Appleby Road Community Garden, to reduce the environmental impact of the school, improve biodiversity and raise awareness of environmental issues.

With the help of Master Composter Chris Eastman, they’ve set up a Compost Demonstration Site at the community garden, and regularly collect compostable materials from the food technology department, school kitchens, staff room and study skills centre to recycle.

A Green Johanna compost bin has been set up outside the school kitchen to enable cooked food and bread to be composted. There’s also a Green Cone in the rhubarb bed, which enables nutrient rich food waste to directly fertilise the surrounding crops.

Chris, who has worked tirelessly to develop the compost demonstration site over the past year, says there’s lots to learn about at the new site.

He says: “It’s been fantastic to work with the school on this project. It’s an amazing resource for the public and school to see a variety of composting systems working well in real life and to demonstrate the very many benefits of home composting.

“Having this site on the outskirts of town will make it much easier for local residents to work out which composting system might be the best for their individual space and budget. We have the usual compost bays and basic dalek bins, but there’s also specialist compost bins such as a Hotbin, Green Johanna and a tumbler. Plus, there’s a variety of permaculture design techniques and no-dig beds to explore.”

This is the second site to open in Westmorland and Furness, and will be one of six in Cumbria. All have been made possible with the hard work of partners and volunteers, plus funding from Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)

The official opening of the site will take place on 13 July, 10am-3pm, with nature-based activities, and composting advice provided by the Cumbria Master Composters. Contact Chris or Frankie to arrange a visit.

New site in Shropshire

This month, we’re also excited to be opening our first compost demo site in Shropshire at the Wildlife Trust Cut Visitor Centre.

On Sunday 21 July, the Shropshire Master Composters will launch the site with a composting workshop, and they’ll be activities including making wormeries and bug hotels. The visitor’s centre is open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm, and Sunday 9.30am-12.30pm. For more information, contact Rachel.

Box out

Where to find our Compost Demonstration Sites

You can now learn hands-on composting techniques at the following locations – and there’s many more in the pipeline!

• Norfolk
• Norfolk County Hall
• Cumbria
• Gosling Sike
• Ford Park
• Millon Network Centre
• Alpaca Café/Community Garden, Penrith
• The Queen Katharine School, Kendal
• Bradford
• Horton Farm
• Leicester
• Stokes Wood Allotments
• Gloucestershire
• Bisley Community Composting Site

To find out more about visiting or volunteering head to our Master Composter pages on our website.