Thursday 7 August 2025
Carpentry and Joinery students at Moulton College’s Higham Ferrers campus have been taking part in a community-focused project that combines sustainability, teamwork, and developing practical skills.
The Planters Project was launched after timber was generously donated by Travis Perkins in Wellingborough. The project involves students designing and building wooden planters for schools and community groups. The first to benefit were pupils from Oakway Academy in Wellingborough the planters are now used to support early years learning, particularly around how plants grow.
Simon Nash, Skills Coach for Apprenticeships in Carpentry and Architectural Joinery, led the initiative and saw the timber donation was a chance to create something that would benefit learners in multiple ways.
“The project benefits students enormously,” he explains. “Not only does it develop the skills they already have, but it also helps them learn new ones — sometimes a little ahead of where they would normally be in their second year. It’s also really good for helping different groups work together, and for supporting the community.”
As part of the project, students have been learning key techniques like safe material handling, painting, and how to make the planters weather-resistant. They’ve also had to meet deadlines and manage the demands of building something for a real client — which has helped with confidence and teamworking too.
At Oakway Academy, the planters are now being used by pupils to plant and grow a range of plants and vegetables, bringing classroom learning to life through practical, hands-on experience.
Looking ahead, Moulton College hopes to grow the Planters Project over the next academic year, giving even more students the chance to get involved and helping more local schools benefit from their efforts.
