GERMAN STUDENTS SAY ‘JA’ TO NORTH WALSHAM’S GUERILLA GARDENER
Twenty-one German school students joined North Walsham guerrilla gardener Simon Weal to help tidy up an area in the town centre – part of a week of activities marking the longest-standing exchange programme in Norfolk.
The students, from the Albert-Schweitzer-Realschule in Mayen near Koblenz, were taking part in an exchange with students at North Walsham High School – the 45th year that the exchange has happened.
As part of their week-long stay, they joined NWHS teacher and renowned guerrilla gardener Simon Weal to clear and replant an area in the car park next to North Walsham Community Centre.
“The German students were really taken with the idea of ‘guerilla gardening’ – clearing and replanting public areas on a voluntary basis,” said Mr Weal. “They got stuck in, and they have left a lasting memento of their visit for all the town to see.”
The visiting exchange students also took part in a beach clean at Great Yarmouth during their stay, as well as visiting a number of local attractions, including the Time and Tide Museum, Cromer Beach, the EcoTech Centre in Swaffham, and Norwich. They also participated in a Pizza Bake-Off at the school alongside their North Walsham hosts.
The NWHS will make the return visit to Germany in June next year.