Montclair pre-school wins in best verge competition
Apple Jack's Pre-School c.c. upkept the verge situated on the corner of Alamein Avenue and they say this is their way of giving back to the community.
HOPING to create a clean environment and give back to the community, the owners of Apple Jacks Pre-School in Montclair decided to get involved in the eThekwini Municipality’s adopt-a-verge initiative almost three years ago.
And for their efforts, the school was recently announced as the winners of the best verge in the school category in the municipality’s best verge 2022 competition.
The competition, which is hosted by the municipality’s parks, culture and recreation department, aims to promote a sustainable environment by encouraging residents to beautify and keep their verges well maintained.
Norman May, and his wife Linda, the owners of the school, said they decided to take over the upkeep of the verge situated on the corner of Alamein Avenue.
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“The local scouts were initially maintaining the verge, but we saw that they were struggling and asked them if they would like us to take over, to which they agreed. We also thought that it be a good opportunity for us to put back into the community, which has also supported us for more than two decades,” said Norman.
“The scouts initially had a small little garden and we have since expanded it. It was hard work, and still is as it is quite a big area, about 20 to metres in length. Once we took over, we not only cut the grass, but also did a lot of planting. We initially had fruit trees such as lemon and naartjie, but unfortunately they were stolen. We also planted an array of indigenous plants, mainly because they don’t need to be watered all the time.” he said.
Norman said together with Nkululeko Ndaba, an all-round handyman at the school, go out to clean the verge between two to three times a week and cut the grass every second week during Summer. Linda said they were surprised when they were informed that they had won.
“We were actually nominated by a community member and only found out that we had won at the awards presentation. We were over the moon, especially being recognised for something we started doing for the betterment of the community. We feel appreciated,” she said.
Among their prizes included a water tank, watering equipment, a wheelbarrow, gardening tools and many more.
Norman said they encourages other residents to get involved in the adopt-a-spot and adopt-a-verge initiative.
“We have seen that there has been quite a bit of spots and verges being adopted in the area recently. It is great to see residents and businesses getting involved in order to create a better and more beautiful community that leaves visitors in awe.
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