At Mullingar Educate Together School, parents are encouraged to volunteer their time and skills for the benefit of the wider school community. One of those parents is Anna Browne, who teaches the children about the benefits of growing their own food, and who has become the official school gardener since her eldest son started in the school in 2006.
Work on the garden at the school’s new premises only started in September 2008, but it has already been the subject of a special report on RTE’s Six-One News programme. The garden at the school’s previous location, on a patch of rubble-strewn waste ground, won a Pride of Place award in May, 2008.
Anna’s classes are wildly popular with the children, so much so that the other parents started to enquire about classes for themselves! Since then, through word of mouth and Anna’s own website, she’s been asked to teach in other places around the country. She has an upcoming (sold out ) weekend course in Carlow – and she’s taken part in events such as the recent self-sufficiency show at Belvedere and the Discover Mullingar day. Anna is also trying to develop the concept of teaching adults and children together.
Since her first ‘Grow Your Own Food’ course earlier this year, the demand for Anna Browne’s ‘self-sufficiency’ courses has not diminished in the slightest. The classes started out as a way for students to offset some of the negative effects of the demise of the Celtic Tiger – the reduced economic circumstances so many of us find ourselves in, the rise in childhood obesity, and other health problems. Students attending discovered a whole new healthier world outside their own doors, and have spread the word to their friends.
The classes have proved so successful that Anna has had to develop a whole range of courses, and Anna now teaches students how to make everything from bread to Christmas gifts to cosmetics. The range of gardening and growing-related courses has also been expanded.
Anna is also ‘branching out’ to a new venue – as well as Mullingar Educate Together, some classes will take place at Belvedere. The more mature and extensive gardens there will provide a rich learning environment for those attending.
All of Anna’s classes cater to the absolute beginner – you don’t need to have any previous experience with any of the subjects in question, and, where required, materials and equipment will be provided. Anna’s passion for her subject is, to put it mildly, infectious. She has also been featured in The Sunday Times for her online efforts to spread the message about growing at home - you can check out her website for yourself at http://growyourownfood.blogspot.com.
Anna’s upcoming courses (from now until January ) include ‘Seed Saving’ (two sessions, one for adults, one for parent and child ) in Belvedere, ‘Make & Bake for Christmas’, ‘Garden Preparation for Spring’, ‘Make your own Cosmetics’, ‘Make your own Bread’, ‘Make your own Wheat-free Bread’, and the extremely popular ‘Grow Your Own Food’ course.
For details on dates, times, venues, and costs, you can call or text Anna at (087 ) 2222562 or email [email protected]
