Following the flooding in Southwell in 2013 the Lowe’s Wong Schools have been working with Nottinghamshire Local Authority to look at ways of reducing the run-off from the school site.
Initial plans were too expensive at the time, but work started in the Spring of 2020 to landscape the schools’ fields to reduce the flow’.
The substantial works led to the schools being unable to use their school field for most of that year, but the work is paying off.
Several large areas have been dug out with pipe work to join a snake like effect down the field, at each point retaining large amounts of water and reducing the water run off considerably. Educationally the schools have benefited from a newly established pond area and the Junior School Gardening Club is looking forward to being able to plant the new raised beds; these have been built to retain the water from the school roof.
Mike Follen, Headteacher at the Junior School said: “Whilst we lost the use of the field for a period of time, the way in which drainage areas have been incorporated into the field, means that we will be able to use the field for more of the school year. Before the work was started, the fields would be waterlogged from October through to March, now the water is contained in set areas and our football pitches are dry. We can’t wait to have the children back and to be able to make the most of the new pond area
