Herbs fresh from the schoolyard

Mahlo donates raised beds to Saal secondary school

Mahlo brings fresh herbs and crunchy vegetables to the schoolyard of Saal secondary school: by donating raised beds, the mechanical engineering company shows how local cooperation and team spirit can grow. Trainers and apprentices from Mahlo handed over the self-built beds to the school. A successful project that shows how cooperation can bear fruit across industries.

"Thank you very much for the donation, which we can really use," says headmistress Marion Häusler-Lindl, who received the dark grey painted wooden boxes from the Mahlo team, consisting of trainers and apprentices. "We are always happy to organise joint activities with local partners." Community and teamwork were also the reasons why the raised bed project came about in the first place. The mechanical engineering company actually manufactures measuring and control systems - and has little to do with garden design.

"As part of our familiarisation days for the new training year, we came up with a challenge for our 30 or so trainees from all apprenticeship years," explains Rebecca Ziegler, responsible for commercial training at Mahlo. The task: three mixed groups from all apprenticeships were each tasked with building a raised bed. The winning team received a prize in the form of a voucher. Appearance, function and teamwork were assessed. The young Mahlonese only had the materials at their disposal; they had to take care of the building instructions, organisation and distribution of work themselves. The end result was three completely different but fully functional raised beds in the Mahlo look. It would be a shame if they never left the company premises, thought the training team, so they asked the primary and secondary school in Saal whether there was a need for them.

The suggestion immediately met with an open ear. Because this school year there is even a school garden working group. It will take care of the planting and maintenance. "We are planning herb and vegetable beds, which will then be used in the school kitchen," says headmistress Häusler-Lindl. Everyone involved is certain that not only plants will grow here in the future, but also further cooperation between the two institutions in Saal.