Muddy Hands, Happy Hearts!
It’s April, and that means it’s Month of the Military Child! We’re celebrating all the awesome kids and families who make the military community so amazing. And speaking of amazing… get ready to hear about a fantastic project that’s blooming at RAF Benson!
The NAAFI Fund has awarded a huge £10,000 grant to RAF Benson to help create something really special: the RAF Benson Air Garden!
Thanks to lots of hard work and a great money boost from the NAAFI Fund, the once empty space has been turned into a brilliant youth garden right next to the Community Centre. This means all the young people at RAF Benson will have the chance to get their hands a little bit muddy and learn how to grow all sorts of yummy and beautiful things!
They will have the resources to plant tiny seeds and watch them grow into juicy fruit, crunchy veggies, and colourful flowers! They’ve already been super busy growing things like strawberries, peas, giant pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes and even tasty herbs – the Air Garden is bursting with life and colour!
But wait, there’s MORE! They’ve also added two fun animal head domes – a roaring lion and a friendly cow! And the best part? All the children got to join in the weaving process to help make them look amazing!
This Air Garden is more than just growing plants. It’s a place where young people can learn new skills, work together as a team, and discover how amazing nature can be.
Wing Commander Alice Tierney, Station Commander RAF Benson said “The development of the youth garden has provided the young people who attend, the opportunity to grow plants from seed, watching the process and enjoying the end results which they ate on the spot or took home for cooking. This first year has laid the foundation for the 2025 crop to be even better. The building of the wicker domes was an excellent teamwork activity and sense of achievement as well as learning a new skill.”
One excited parent said “My daughter came home with a bag of potatoes she had grown and we had mash for our tea that night!”
The NAAFI Fund is so proud to support projects like the Air Garden because we know how important it is for young people in our military communities to have fun, make new friends, engage in activities and spaces where they can learn and grow – just like the plants in their garden!
Dreaming of your own fruit and vegetable patch? We can help make it happen! Get in touch @naafisocial.
