Staff working at Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone are supporting a local project to build a sensory room at St Andrew's High School C.E. for boys.

The garden centre has donated a £100 gift card to a group of degree students at the University of Chichester who are behind the project. The students are in their third year of a primary teaching degree and as part of their training, they aim to raise £2,500 within the local community in order to create the new sensory room.

The sensory room project will help students who require different types of support throughout the school day. There are also plans in the pipeline to create a sensory garden to further enhance the students’ learning by providing an outside classroom in the summer. The garden will be abundant in colour and offer a quiet place with a range of textures and scents.

The £100 gift card from Haskins will be used by the University students to purchase a selection of plants for the outside sensory area. A further fundraising event will take place at St Andrew’s High School on Thursday November 23, hosted by the University of Chichester.

Nick Joad, centre manager at Haskins Garden Centre in Roundstone, commented: “Haskins is proud to support this local project to help St. Andrew’s High School. We wish the group of students at University of Chichester good luck in their fundraising efforts.”

Wendy Stringer, SEN manager at St. Andrew's High School, commented: “The new sensory space will benefit local children for many years to come and will be a great asset to the school. We are very grateful to local companies, including Haskins for their kindness in donating a gift card to the project.”

Olivia Pye, degree student at the University of Chichester, added: “We are so pleased for the generosity and support given by our local Haskins, who have embraced our project as part of their commitment to the local community. The project is dependent on local donations and we are delighted that Haskins recognised its importance and came on board so quickly. We’re looking forward to getting started and making a positive impact for the school.”

Haskins Garden Centre is located in Roundstone, Littlehampton. Visit www.haskins.co.uk for more information.