South Yorkshire Times, July 9th 1955
Denaby Pupils Brighten up School Garden
“Let’s brighten our school garden,” three pupils of Denaby St Albans catholic school decided among themselves last week. So on Saturday they turned up for school at the usual time – but not for lessons.
One lad was armed with a large pick. He set to work breaking up the iron hard ground trampled by pupils, who have used that corner of the garden as a playground. The lads who undertook this labour of love are pupils in standards three and four: Brian Alcock, of Firbeck street, Patrick Sharp, of Conisbrough and Tony Fitzwilliam of Marr Street Denaby Main.
After many weary hours, the lad’s saw a big improvement. All that remained to be done was to build a protective wall around the garden, which will soon be splash of colour when seeds which were planted, spring into flowers.
None of them knew much about wall building. They went to watch men building a small wall surrounding Denaby United football ground. The lads picked up some useful hints.
Then their headteacher went to the contractor and bought a quantity of cement. They found some old coping stones, which were salvaged from an old wall, and with the guidance of their headteacher, set about mixing cement. Then, after passing their gardening examination with full marks, the young labourers set about their new job of bricklaying.
It will be a week or so before their job is continued. But already there labourers are being noticed by visitors to the school, and many complimentary remarks have been heard.
The head told a “South Yorkshire Times” reporter: “All three were very keen. I did not have to ask them to do the work, and they seem to enjoy it, too.”