Nature garden and English lessons for Ukrainians funded through Royston grants

Two community groups have been awarded a total of £2,863* following a meeting of the Royston & District Committee on 23 March. 

The Cambridge Russian School was awarded £777 to run social and English language sessions for Ukrainian residents currently living in Royston. The school teaches children of Russian-speaking heritage Russian language as well as additional activities including programming, chess, maths, art and drama. The group has recently welcomed a number of newly arrived Ukrainian students to their lessons and will use this funding to help cover fees for the summer term of their students living in Royston. The funding will also provide an opportunity for local Ukrainians in Royston to have weekly gatherings, with an English language workshop and information on other topics of interest. The group is also planning to set up a cafe in May at the Old School House to sell homemade authentic Ukrainian food.

The Roman Way Supporters was awarded £2,086 towards completion of an outdoor woodland learning area to benefit children at Roman Way Academy as well as the local community. The money will help the group with the final phase of development which involves providing immersive equipment and learning resources following extensive recent landwork to clear the area and create defined pathways and learning spaces in a large expanse of woodland. Wooden teepees, seating areas and workstations will be provided to provide spaces to play, learn and create, as well as equipment such as wipeable whiteboards, chalkboards and story stones to support English learning as an initial focus.

Lucy from The Roman Way Supporters said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this substantial sum of money to help us complete the woodland area with some amazing equipment and resources for the children at our school. We are really grateful to receive such overwhelming support from the council in terms of both financial contribution and recognition of the value this progressive facility will bring to our school and the local community. The learning opportunities and experiences the children will gain from working in such a stimulating environment on a daily basis are invaluable and we look forward to inviting other local schools and groups to share this resource with us."

Jeanette Thompson, Legal & Community Service Director, said: “The council is thrilled that this funding will provide a nature garden at Roman Way Academy, which will not only enhance the local biodiversity in the area, but also enrich the children's outdoor learning opportunities, enabling them to explore, learn, and thrive. We are also pleased to support Ukrainians in Royston, providing funding for them to have English lessons to help them integrate into our community.”

*subject to completion of the necessary formalities

More information: Community grants