13 Aug 2025 Community

Sowing Seeds of Support: Headfield School and The Kirkwood

Charlotte DeRenzy Jones, Assistant Head Teacher at Headfield Junior School in Dewsbury, has a special reason for leading her Year 5 pupils in learning about The Kirkwood and what the charity does whilst growing sunflowers for the hospice's amazing garden. 

For the past two years, the school has taken part in the initiative, which grows sunflowers for the Hospice’s annual summer garden party. This year, 150 pupils, five classes of 30 have been involved, tying the project neatly into their spring curriculum topic on allotments.

“The children were amazed to see the germination process and the videos they’d watched in our allotment topic actually come to life,” Charlotte explains. “At first the sunflowers were growing in our polytunnel, but then we brought them into the classroom in trays on the windowsill so we could really watch them take off. Our classroom’s quite warm, so it was a bit like a greenhouse.”

In the first year, Charlotte brought 10 pupils to the Hospice for the planting session. This year, the whole of her own class of 28 children made the trip.

She said: “When they first heard we were going to grow flowers, their reaction was, ‘Miss, is this tiny seed actually going to grow?’ I told them, ‘If we nurture it, give it the right conditions, put it into the soil, water it, give it sunlight, and protect it, then yes, it will grow.’ We even staked them and tied string around so the stems wouldn’t break.”

The project has taken root in more ways than one. Over the May half term, Charlotte took the plants home to her garden in Cumberworth to care for them, ensuring they survived the school holiday. And the pupils’ enthusiasm extended beyond the garden: “This year we didn’t just bring sunflowers. We also made pottery, baked lemon shortbread biscuits for the staff, and wrote poems and drew pictures. So we definitely did more this year than the first time we took part.”

Charlotte’s motivation for championing the Hospice is personal: “The children understood the significance of The Kirkwood for me because in 2020 my wonderful dad, Ian Benson, sadly died from lung cancer. He fought bravely for a full year and died at home in Lepton, but the Hospice was part of the journey and gave us the support we needed as a family.”

Her father was diagnosed in June 2019 and died on 9 June 2020 at the age of 72, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when funerals were restricted to just 10 people.

She continued: “When we visited, the children came to see the beautiful tree in your meeting room where my dad’s leaf is. It says, ‘Good night, God bless.’ It was incredibly meaningful for me to share that with my pupils. They could see why this place means so much to me personally.”

Charlotte’s family connection to the Hospice goes back decades. “When I was 14, I was in Huddersfield town centre shaking a collection tin for the Hospice on what they called a ‘Flag Day.’ That was because my uncle Michael had died here in 1994, aged just 38, when The Kirkwood had only been open a few years. We’ve supported it as a family ever since.”

For Charlotte, the project is not just about plants, it’s about values: “It’s important for children to learn not to be selfish and to care for others, we never know what’s around the corner for any of us. My school is very giving. Many of our families are part of cultures and faiths where giving to charity is central, so they already understand the need to support people in the community.”

The partnership with The Kirkwood also helps to raise awareness. Head Teacher Louise Brown is a friend of Judith Ambler, one of the Hospice’s champion fundraisers, who explained to pupils that it costs thousands of pounds a day to run the Hospice.

Charlotte added: “Projects like this make children step outside the school gates and see there’s a bigger world beyond WF12. It’s about realising they can be part of making that wider community a better, kinder place.”

Headfield Junior School has a strong culture of fundraising, holding two main events a year. Charlotte also organised a staff bake sale in September 2024, which raised around £250 for the Hospice. The winner of the “Headfield Bake Off” was staff member Helen Thorpe, who also joined the class on the planting trip. 

To mark their involvement, Charlotte commissioned a plaque reading: “Grown with love and care by the Year 5 pupils at Headfield CE Junior School, Dewsbury”. It now sits proudly in one of the Hospice’s raised beds.

“We’re part of it now, we’re not going away. We’ll be back next year and the year after that, and hopefully forevermore,” she says. “Every time we visit, we see that plaque and know a little piece of our school is here.”

Lastly The Kirkwood’s community fundraiser Judith Ambler commented on the success of the project: “It’s been wonderful to see the pupils at Headfield Junior School embrace the sunflower project with such enthusiasm and care. This isn’t just about planting seeds it’s about planting values. The children are learning about nature, teamwork, and the science of growth, but they’re also discovering compassion, community spirit, and the importance of giving something back. Their sunflowers brighten our gardens and help make them a place of joy and remembrance for everyone who visits. Projects like this remind us that the future of our Hospice depends on the next generation understanding and supporting what we do. We’re so grateful to Charlotte and her pupils for making The Kirkwood part of their school life year after year.”