SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hello and welcome back to the Download, the Claremont podcast, where we reflect on school life, learning, and the moments that bring our community together. This week has been full of adventure, achievement, and reflection. And we've also been thinking about a new character quality that connects everything we do. Let's get started. Or while trying something new.

SPEAKER_06 1:05

Residential trips are exciting because you get to stay away from home with your friends. It's also a chance to learn things you wouldn't normally do in school. You have to be a bit brave, but it's part of the experience.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Absolutely. Those moments help children grow in confidence and independence. In Assembly this week, Miss Quickfall shared her recent achievement, completing a Hyrux, with different activities in between. She spoke about the importance of challenge, resilience, and taking small steps towards a bigger goal.

SPEAKER_06 1:42

It showed that big achievements don't happen all at once. You have to keep going even when it feels difficult. And breaking something into smaller steps makes it feel more achievable.

SPEAKER_02 1:53

That message really connects to our learning. Progress happens step by step. This month, our character quality is freedom. Freedom isn't just about doing what we want, it's about making good choices, showing responsibility and understanding how our actions affect others.

SPEAKER_06 2:11

Freedom means having the chance to make your own choices, but also understanding the consequences of those choices. It's about using freedom in a positive and responsible way.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Exactly, exactly. Real freedom comes with responsibility. This week's recognition assembly celebrated the achievements of pupils across the school, linking them to our learning characteristics. We saw a huge number of portfolio badges awarded, a fantastic achievement.

SPEAKER_06 2:57

It shows that hard work really pays off and it encourages others to keep trying their best.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

A special well done to Year Six who completed their ESB exams with everyone achieving very high scores. And also to those who took part in their Lambda exams, where every pupil achieved a distinction. An incredible set of results, you should all be very proud. In the house point race, Longcross are currently in the lead. Still plenty of time for those other houses to catch up, so keep going. This week we're joined by Roger McCormick and Peter Delft from the Isha Planters Club. You may have noticed the bright and colourful planters around Isha High Street recently. These are cared for by volunteers who meet every Friday morning to plant weed and water. We've also been working closely with Claremont to bring a touch of the school into our local community too. Roger and Peter, thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_04 4:14

Oh, it's a great pleasure.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for inviting us. So I believe we've got some questions from our digital explorers here. I'll hand it over to the floor.

SPEAKER_06 4:21

Can you tell us a little bit about what the Isha Planters Club does every week?

SPEAKER_04 4:28

Okay, shall I start on this one? Gay Rod, after you. We do have a double act here, Peter and I. Unrehears. We um we look after the various planted areas around Isha High Street. There are some box boxes that have plants in them, and there are some planted areas that have uh some have trees and other things in them, and there are various um strips alongside the roads that also have plants and things in. And um they had become very neglected and overgrown. And our initial job going back two years was to tidy them up and uh get rid of the weeds and put in some new plants. Uh that phase is largely over now, so our our main job now is to uh make sure the plants that are in there are properly looked after. It's a big job to make sure they're waters um frequently at this time of year. Very big job then. And from time to time to add to the plants.

SPEAKER_03 5:27

Yeah, quite so. And um as Roger intimated at the beginning it was quite a large task because uh these areas were sadly neglected over several years. And uh but with good support from many volunteers, um, we took on the task, and uh I think we're now eventually seeing the fruits of our labour and uh substantial improvement in what we've planted and the flowers and greenery that's in Arsenal Street.

SPEAKER_04 5:54

I I should say that before we take off with our trowels and shovels and spades and work on these planted areas, we all meet for a cup of coffee in a local coffee bar and spend And a piece of cake, I'm sure, as well. Well, not usually. No, no, okay, unless it's someone's birthday. Unless it's someone's birthday. Oh, okay. So we we have a good old chat for 30, 40 minutes, which is an important social side of the club, too.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

That's really good. Who here has seen the planters in the high street? Have you guys seen it? Yeah, you've seen a few in the yeah, yeah, brilliant. Okay, nice. So you've seen them around.

SPEAKER_06 6:25

So you can see I think I've seen yay.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Oh it's possible. I hope I was behaving myself.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

It's Friday morning, so you may well school, but uh in holiday time, half turned, you'll see us in our fluorescent uh jackets in the high street. Yeah. And uh please come up and say hello after look out for it.

SPEAKER_04 6:42

It'd be nice to see you. We do sometimes go out at other times if we have a specific task that um uh is a bit different to the other things that we've been doing. And so we might sometimes go out there on a Sunday morning, for example. And there's a team of people who often go out to do watering um with very elaborate hose arrangements from uh sources of water near the high street. And they often go out in the late afternoon, early evening.

SPEAKER_02 7:06

Yeah. Right. Next question then, guys. Who's Nick?

SPEAKER_05 7:10

What inspired you to get involved in helping improve the high street?

SPEAKER_04 7:15

The inspiration. Um There's an organization in Isha called the Isha Chamber of Commerce, which is uh an organization of local businesses. And they formed a committee called the Isha in Bloom Committee about three or four years ago. And I was invited to join that committee because I'd been complaining about the sad state of the planted areas in the high street. Um I used to go to meetings of the Chamber of Commerce. And um I would make the point, which is not an original point, but it might be new to you, that there's something called broken window theory, uh, which the mayor of New York some years ago um took on board to help revive the center of New York. And what it amounts to is this that if you let parts of your community look neglected and sad and vandalized, i.e., broken windows that never get replaced and fixed, it only encourages more vandalism and more petty crime, and everyone gets to feel miserable and even rather unsafe. I said part of the uh the broken window theory would include making these planted areas look as if somebody does actually care about them. So that was my inspiration for getting something done. And I think a lot of people came on board with that idea.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

I think that's the same as we have at school, isn't it? That if we were, for example, to go into the playground and see uh rubbish everywhere, you'd be more inclined to drop rubbish, wouldn't you? Because you go, well, it's on the floor, I could just drop it. But we know we have to keep it nice and clean and tidy, and that way it encourages others to do exactly the same, though. Super, yeah, lovely lad.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

I think also there is a tendency to think that somebody else will sort that out, yeah, whether it be the council or the road sweeper or whatever. So again, when we initially got this uh project going, we thought, well, why don't we take an active involvement and do it ourselves? And um we discovered that yes, there were plenty more volunteers available who felt the same, like-minded, and so we took this on ourselves. It's been a significant success, I think.

SPEAKER_04 9:20

And we have had a lot of support from the council bodies from Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council. They've been uh very encouraging virtually from the start and have been very generous with funding for uh because we these plants don't come free, we have to go out and buy them. Yeah, of course. So so we have that we were worried wondering to begin with whether they would be upset about all these amateurs going around the public space and pitching with in with uh new plants here and there. That not a bit of it. They are really pleased with what we're doing, and it's great to have them on our side.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Good. Oh, that's really good. Also, if you just add with the black planters, which you may have seen in Isha High Street, um, we weren't initially aware as to whose responsibility or who, in fact, who owned them. And I still don't think we know who we don't know. Nobody knows. Nobody knows. But the significance of that is that we were able to actually take ownership ourselves, if you like, yeah. Um, to actually do some work on them without either offending anybody, but also but actually um getting you know compliments from people to take the soil and make them.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

That's half the battle sometimes, isn't it? Going right. Who actually who does this belong to? Uh can we do something with it? Yeah, go for it. Brilliant, thank you very much. Awesome, thank you. Great question. Uh uh next uh next question then, please.

SPEAKER_06 10:37

What does a tropical Friday a typical wait what does a typical Friday morning looks like for you when you're working on the planters?

SPEAKER_03 10:53

Well, go ahead. I'll find it.

SPEAKER_04 10:55

Depends on the time of year, of course. So in the middle of the winter it looks pretty a bit cold and frosty, and you're not sure you really want to go out there. Except a nice warm cup of coffee helps. Yes. Um and in the the heat of the summer, it can look kind of dry and dusty. But the uh the typical Friday morning, not taking your question as literally as I was doing just then, um, looks like a bunch of old friends getting together and having a nice chat over a cup of coffee, cup of tea, whatever, and then going out uh armed with their various gardening tools, bits of plants and trees, well, only small trees really, and um busying themselves around the high street and talking to passers by who are interested in what we're doing and are usually very encouraging, and generally engaging with the people on Isha High Street of a Friday morning, including, of course, the shopkeepers, the the retail outlets who are quite often come out and have a chat and help help us with water supply as well. They let us keep watering cans in their shops and let us fill them up when we need to.

SPEAKER_02 12:03

That's great. We've got a gardening club going on down at Francourt this afternoon. And uh yeah, just had a thought of going, well, wouldn't it be cool if we were to go and help with that? That would be that would be lovely, wouldn't it? Maybe one day, maybe I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. I'm not putting that out there today, but uh one day, maybe I'm sure we could have a few volunteers that pop down and help, maybe. Not now, I'm not saying now, we're not gonna run out the door now. Maybe another time. That's all I'm suggesting. Uh thank you. Nice question. Uh, who's next?

SPEAKER_06 12:28

What difference do you think planting flowers makes to a community?

SPEAKER_04 12:33

Well, I think it um it cheers people up. Um, if you see pretty, colourful plants uh as opposed to a dry, dusty uh bed overgrown with weeds, it just makes you feel better. Um, it makes you feel that someone cares about the community that you're living in or working in. And um I think it's generally has an uplifting uh effect. The feeling that this has been done by a a group of community volunteers makes you think, well, maybe this town has got a bit of character and a bit of civic pride and people care about it. That gives you a good feeling, I think.

SPEAKER_03 13:16

I mean, certainly some of the areas, again, two years ago were so overgrown that y you would be ashamed, be almost shocked that uh well what's happening here? Yeah, no one makes any effort or cares. So when you look when we look back at where we are now with some of those areas, it's it's a real joy to look and see the flowers and uh gives people a nice feeling or better feeling, should we say.

SPEAKER_04 13:39

Those black boxes that Pete was talking about, when they were overgrown and neglected, people just use them as litter bins. Yeah. Use you'd find uh old beer bottles and chewing gum and cigarettes generally, litter stuff, cigarette stubs. They it was very nasty. Now you hardly ever see anything dumped in them because people know that uh we take it seriously. We the community take it seriously. There are plenty of bins around. Use the bins, don't use the the planters.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

Yeah, that's so lovely. And it does make a big difference when you walk into the high street of any high street and you can see lots of lovely flowers. It makes you go, God, this is a nice place. I wouldn't mind living here. This is lovely.

SPEAKER_03 14:19

Well, I think one of the best shows to highlight that was in the spring when the daffodils came out. I don't know how many we planted, how many bowls, but uh 500? Yeah, maybe more. Good nice. And uh the fruits of that were clearly demonstrated when we saw all the lovely yellow flowers down high street in the springtime.

SPEAKER_04 14:37

Oh, it's like winter is over, spring is over.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Yeah, it certainly gives a swing in your step, doesn't it? Absolutely. Uh thank you very much. Um, who's next, and please?

SPEAKER_06 14:48

Can you tell us about the People's Patch and how Claremont has been involved?

SPEAKER_04 14:52

Oh, well, that that's a wonderful thing. Uh it's just by the entrance to the old church path, um, near the old Barclays Bank building, and it's a round planted area, circular planted area, which had been um dedicated to um some Damasque roses from many, many years back, but the Damasque roses were on their last legs and never seemed to be in flower. So um we felt it would be a good idea to uh with Claremont School uh replant that bed with some beautiful uh camellias and uh lavender, and it's absolutely gorgeous now. And there's a little sign there saying that the school um is behind it and supports it. And um for us as the Y Sha Planters Club, it really is a very tangible um indication of community engagement and involvement, which we absolutely love. It's um it makes us feel good, and uh, I think that the people who see that feel good that uh the school has got engaged in uh something for making the high street more beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

You guys will have to see if you can spot it next time you're in the high street and head down and oh yeah, there it is. There's there's the Claremont patch. Um you have to see if you can uh uh spot it when you're down there.

SPEAKER_06 16:09

Maybe we should make like a little section and everyone um in like junior school could plant seed in it.

SPEAKER_02 16:16

Oh, maybe, maybe. We'll have to have a think about that. Maybe.

SPEAKER_06 16:19

I will yeah, that would be a lot of flowers.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

A lot of flowers.

SPEAKER_06 16:21

And a lot of water.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

But it's lovely that we're connected with these guys that are doing that and um uh and being there to support such a fantastic cause. So I think it's really lovely.

SPEAKER_03 16:29

And we welcome any ideas. That's a very good suggestion. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 16:33

I'm gonna tell school council.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

Hey, and that's what we can do with Eco Club and School Council and obviously get your voice heard. If you've got an idea about these things, okay, put it forward, and we can certainly uh talk uh about that. And that includes you guys listening at home as well. If you're involved in Eco Club at school, please feel free to speak to your eco counsellor and let's put these ideas forward. Let's get this ball rolling, let's work with these guys to create a more beautiful place to live.

SPEAKER_06 16:57

Let's grow some flowers.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Let's grow some flowers.

SPEAKER_06 17:00

Woo woo!

SPEAKER_02 17:01

Super, who's next? Another question, then, please, guys. Well done.

SPEAKER_06 17:04

What has been the most rewarding part of the work you do?

SPEAKER_04 17:08

Well, um we all probably have different answers. You go for it.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

Yeah, well I'll I'll go for it. I think the most rewarding part is is seeing the substantial change. We've mentioned it earlier, but um two years ago, the the high street, in terms of the the the you know, the borders and also these black planters, we're in a very, very sad state. And I think the most rewarding part, well, first of all, has been in rejuvenating them, is to make them more visible, uh, not only the plants, but also you may have noticed they're each painted and uh actually in memory of residents of Isha, uh, which gives it much more profile and uh significance. So that that's one part, but also rewarding in that when we're actually there, um local residents will compliment us on the efforts that we're we're doing, and that's that's kind of gratifying, and they appreciate the improvements that are being made, um which is yeah, that that's very rewarding.

SPEAKER_04 18:06

There's one rather tangible uh uh i uh uh incident that occurred quite recently that um gave me a nice warm glow inside. We were contacted by someone from Surre County Council who basically said, We've noticed what you've been doing in Isha High Street, and we would like to get similar community volunteer groups going in other towns in Surrey. That's great. Uh could we come and talk to you so that we can understand how you did it?

SPEAKER_02 18:38

That's lovely. That's a really lovely achievement. Other places going, hey, we want what you've got. How did you put this together? That's really lovely.

SPEAKER_03 18:47

And there are similar ones there. I think Hersham has a similar uh scheme. There, if you go outside Waitrose, they've got some planters there. Yes. Little notices it's sort of Hersham in Blue, not sure whether Weybridge does, but yeah, Weybridge has one. So it's it's a it's a lovely community there, and I think there's a tendency, certainly, which I was guilty of, you walk down your high street, you just assume other people do it. Actually, you can do it yourself, it makes a difference, which is quite very rewarding.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Lovely. Thank you very much. Any more questions?

SPEAKER_05 19:19

What was your favourite flower that you planted?

SPEAKER_04 19:24

Well, a lot to choose from, you know. Um and um I'm gonna duck the question a little bit because I f I'd find it very hard to single out one plant or flower that was the absolute favourite above all others. Um but I did love the daffodil display. Uh I thought that was wonderful. Um there is also a plant called Erycimum, which you you it is all over the high street, but a lot of people don't know what it's called. But it it uh is a very hardy plant, that is, it survives even when it's been rather unlooked after for a while. It still flowers and it flowers for a long time. And perhaps the star of the show last year, and it will be this year again, is something called Russian Sage. That's its sort of nickname. And that's all over, and it'll be in flower probably in the next three to four weeks, and it's a beautiful purple lilac-y colour, and uh it grows everywhere, and it's very, very pretty. Russian sage, okay. It's got a proper name, but I never pronounce it.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Sounds quite porofsky or something. It's always good for my garden because everything just dies in my garden. So yeah, I'll put that one down. Russian sage. There we go. Good question there.

SPEAKER_04 20:43

Ah, there we go.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

Great. Fantastic question, thank you.

SPEAKER_05 20:50

How long have you been helping the Isha planters?

SPEAKER_03 20:55

I think it started um about two years ago. And uh that was when the initial um kind of uh initiative was uh was undertaken. And um we've still got most of the original members still involved and uh over the two years again I think repeating the the changes that were that we've made. And uh when we first sat down together and discussed what we were going to do, it was about two years ago I think it wasn't it was, yeah, just over.

SPEAKER_06 21:28

So have you ever um planted orchids?

SPEAKER_04 21:33

Not in the high street. They're not the the hardiest of plants for a high street environment orchids. They're very beautiful, but really haven't planted those.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Have you got orchids at home?

SPEAKER_06 21:44

No, but when I was in my Radrentet residential trip, I s we went like sort of walk or like climb a mountain and we saw loads.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

You saw loads in there. Okay, very nice. Okay, very good. Very nice. Yep. They're a bit tricky to grow in the high screw, but really beautiful.

SPEAKER_06 22:02

Yeah, they're very nice. Super.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

Well done. Next question then, guys. Well done. Really good thinking today.

SPEAKER_06 22:09

If you could go anywhere in the world to plant a flower, where would you go and why?

SPEAKER_04 22:13

Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, well, imagination, doesn't it? Yeah. Uh where would I go alright? I suppose um I would I would like to go to a place that really needed some brightening up and cheering up. Um I I was listening to uh a previous podcast here that talked about the um the the appalling slum areas in p parts of India, in places like Mumbai and the terrible conditions that uh people, including children, live in there. So perhaps it would be a nice thing to go to an area that was really deprived where people were under the kosh, as it were, and find something very inspiring to cheer the place up. It may seem a rather futile gesture, but sometimes good things start with what looks like a futile gesture. Maybe I'll do something like that.

SPEAKER_03 23:16

There was an example of that. Last night, um broadcast by uh Michael Portillo in Korea, and he was in Seoul. And uh part of the centre of the town was uh they had a motorway, uh elevated motorway came right through the center, which actually covered a river underneath it. And about 20 years ago they decided to remove the motorway and re and reestablish the river with decorated areas and plants and uh areas where people could congregate. And the difference was amazing. It just gave people much more enjoyment about being at the towns and cities. So it does make a big difference when you can change the environment people in and remove all the concrete does but make you feel a lot brighter, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 23:59

It really does. Thank you. Nice question. Um, I think we've got one more question then, guys. Well done.

SPEAKER_06 24:06

So basically, what inspired you to do the job you're doing right now?

SPEAKER_04 24:12

Um it's a bit of a cliche, but I suppose the feeling that uh with a bit of luck and a bit of help from uh uh friends and and colleagues, we could make a difference. It would be a difference that people would welcome.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

Super. Thank you very much. Thanks for your lovely questions. Um now um uh before we finish, I feel we should try to talk a little bit um about uh radio and uh podcasting and uh doing what we're doing here um because we've got a professional here, we've got somebody who actually does quite a lot of it. Um and uh Roger, I believe you uh run your own radio show, is that right? Or you you make radio? Um I'll put you on the spot here, I'm sorry, uh, but we've got to talk about it.

SPEAKER_04 24:53

Oh well um I I do have a radio show on the local radio station called Brooklyn's Radio. It goes out on Friday evenings at 10 o'clock, and it's it's had various titles, uh but it's uh it's basically a a show that plays blues music, um uh or music that's similar to blues music. Great. Um so uh yeah, that's I don't exactly do it for a living, it's really a hobby.

SPEAKER_02 25:19

What a great hobby. That's why we kind of attend this club, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. And um you've uh had some people on there, or you you kind of make the show. Does it go out on uh is it an online radio uh station booking radio?

SPEAKER_04 25:31

It is, yes. Although I think it is DAB as well now. Okay, great. But uh you can listen to it anywhere in the world if you uh because it because it's online, so you get it by satellite and so um uh I've been doing it since about ten years or so, and uh I I keep uh keep saying this will probably be the last year, you know, but they they keep asking about it more. Brilliant I've had some interesting guests as well. So interesting.

SPEAKER_02 25:59

Uh well, um has anyone got a question about uh go on, go on, quick.

SPEAKER_06 26:03

Uh have you ever interviewed anybody?

SPEAKER_04 26:07

Yes, yes. I used to interview people quite regularly. Um I interviewed uh a man called Paul Jones once, or in fact I've interviewed him twice, who was the lead singer with a a 60s band called Manfred Mann and uh has also been a a singer with a band called The Blues Band. And he's still performing, even though he's in his 80s now. Wow He's very lively, very entertaining, very intelligent chap. And I've interviewed some other great singers too. Um sometimes they come and play uh in my studio. I have a little place at home where I record these shows, and sometimes they come and play live music training for the show, which is a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 26:47

That's really lovely. That's the dream, isn't it, to have a recording studio in your own home.

SPEAKER_06 26:52

Have you interviewed Taylor Swift?

SPEAKER_04 26:54

Uh uh unfortunately when Taylor Swift was available, I was too busy. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. No, I've never interviewed anyone quite that famous. Sad.

SPEAKER_02 27:08

Hey, you never know. Maybe one day if this is a career. Yeah, yeah. If you're listening to this, feel free to come in. Thursday afternoon. We imagine that if she came in, we could interview her. That would be good. Hey, but you never know if you enjoy this club and you wanted to do this as a career. This is the type of thing. There's lots of people that go on to be presenters on radio, and you never know, that could be something that you would choose to do. Okay, thank you very much. Um, it's been fantastic hearing about your work and uh helping bring a bit of colour, care, and community spirits to Isha and how our school has been taking part on your journey as well. So, Roger, Peter, thank you so much for coming today. Uh, really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_04 27:48

Great to be here. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

Thank you. Just to remind everybody, there's a few important reminders to let you know about. Please make sure that you wait on the playground at the start of the day and not on the astro turf. And the rear access to the building remains out of bounds during exam season.

SPEAKER_06 28:08

These rules help keep everyone safe and organized, and they help make sure exams can take place without disruption.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

This week has shown us that freedom, challenge, and community all go hand in hand. Freedom helps us make choices, challenge helps us grow, and community helps us support one another. Keep making good choices, keep taking small steps, and keep looking out for each other.