Grounds Maintenance, Landscape Creation, Arboriculture, Sports Surfacing, Parks management, IOS Managing Safely Training, Ecology & Biodiversity, Grass cutting, Horticulture, Street Cleaning, Soft Landscaping, Hard Landscaping
idverde provides a wide range of green services, including grounds maintenance, landscape creation, and advice services, to both private and public sectors across the UK.
idverde’s commitment to community enrichment has taken root in Eastbourne, transforming outdoor learning environments for local children. Three schools, Gildredge House, St John’s Meads CE Primary School, and Cavendish Pre-School, have recently benefited from this added-value project, which has brought new life to their Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) outdoor areas.
At Gildredge House, the support from Operations Director Darren Pillar and the idverde team has been instrumental in upgrading their sandpit and woodchip zones. EYFS Teacher Victoria Blackwell highlighted the profound impact these natural play areas have on child development. “Sandpits and woodchip areas provide rich, multisensory learning opportunities that support physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development,” she explained.
The enhancements foster:
Victoria added, “Darren’s support has been invaluable to us being able to support the development of these skills within our setting.”
At St John’s Meads CE Primary School, Acting Headteacher Mrs Shevlyn Byroo expressed heartfelt gratitude for the custom-built sandpit installed in their reception outdoor area. “We would like to thank Darrens and the team at idverde for the support they have given St John’s Meads school through their school sandpit initiative.” she said.
The sandpit, constructed by idverde’s landscape team, has already become a beloved feature among the children. “They are over the moon,” Mrs Byroo shared. “It’s enhanced the quality of play and provides endless opportunities for developing essential life skills like collaboration, teamwork, and sharing.”
Beyond play, the sandpit serves as a dynamic learning tool, helping children explore scientific concepts and strengthen gross motor skills through digging and transporting sand.
Mrs Byroo continued “The idverde landscape team are a credit to the business and they went above and beyond with their advice and ideas. The design quality and final product is of a really high standard and we could not be more pleased with the result.”
Also joining the initiative was Cavendish Pre-School, where Primary Headteacher Rachel shared her deep appreciation:
“We would like to send our huge thanks and gratitude to all at idverde for providing and sponsoring an amazing custom-built sandpit for our Pre-School. We had heard about the local school sandpit initiative that idverde provides and were delighted to be selected to receive one.”
Rachel praised the local area team’s support throughout the process:
“James Sherwood (Team Leader) and Donna Sherwood (Grounds Maintenance Operative) visited us to advise on the best placement and size for our sandpit and were able to use their expertise to advise us on the shape, size and location. They couldn’t have been more accommodating.”
She continued:
“When staff met with James and explained our needs, he was able to design a sandpit which far exceeded our expectations and has been described by many of our children as our very own ‘beach’!”
Within a week, the sandpit was installed, much to the children’s delight:
“The children watched with excitement as the idverde team filled the sandpit with a HUGE amount of sand! They (and staff) are delighted and have loved playing and building.”
Rachel emphasised the educational value:
“Sand play is such an important part of learning in the Early Years and provides a multitude of opportunities for the development of fine and gross motor skills, communication and social development, as well as supporting all areas of the EYFS curriculum including mathematical and scientific concepts.”
“We are so very grateful to have been given the opportunity to work in partnership with idverde on this project and look forward to working with you again in the future.”
idverde Operations Director Darren Pillar reflected “At idverde, we believe that outdoor spaces should inspire curiosity, creativity, and connection. Supporting local schools like Gildredge House, St John’s Meads and Cavendish Pre-School through our sandpit initiative is about more than landscaping, it’s about investing in the next generation’s learning and wellbeing. Seeing the joy and development these spaces bring to children is incredibly rewarding for our whole team.”
idverde’s sandpit initiative exemplifies how thoughtful landscaping can nurture young minds and foster community connections. By investing in the environments where children learn and grow, idverde continues to make a lasting impact, one sandpit at a time.
