The Butterfly Effect is the name of our school allotment network/support group here in Norfolk. It's our goal to bring schools and colleges together to spread inspiration and enthusiasm.

All of the schools we have worked with, and are due to work with, are a part of The Butterfly Effect. As a member of The Butterfly Effect you will receive our 'soft help' programme and the following benefits, free of charge*, from us a charity:

Site visits from our Project Leader and Founder, the multi-award-winning school gardener, Matt Willer, who will provide help, top tips and advice. Please contact us to make a booking. We would be very happy to lead a whole school or year group assembly or class presentation to help inspire young people. Please contact us to make a booking. Invitations to our biannual convergences (informal gatherings) at our base, City Academy Norwich. A golden opportunity to connect, collaborate and celebrate with other schools. We strongly encourage the sharing of ideas and resources at these events. One of our seasonal ‘cocoon boxes’ which, once opened, will help to transform your school allotment. A complimentary copy of our magazine ‘The Kaleidoscope’ (named after collective noun for a group of butterflies!) which, we hope, will inspire you with ideas, key events, grants opportunities and helpful advice. Click here to see the latest version. We will endeavour to assign a local Papillon Project ‘allotment guru’ to your school. You are welcome to email them to ask advice and they may be available to support you with lunchtime or school activities. Free educational resources for teachers. We like to think that, as teachers, you will use this material, where relevant and appropriate, in your lessons to inspire children and young people to lead more sustainable lives. Engaging students always begins with you as teachers in the classroom. Training courses for teachers and local adult volunteers who help your project. From what to grow and how to grow it, to leading a school allotment, we have huge experience with running school and college allotments and we are very keen to share this with you! Please contact us to learn more about these courses.

You can apply for your school to become a member of The Butterfly Effect by clicking here.

*Being honest and transparent, we are a small charity run by a very awesome and dedicated group of unpaid volunteers. Everything listed above are services of support that we have offered successfully in the past. However, depending on the availability of funds and volunteers' time/availability each year, we cannot currently guarantee to deliver all of the above each year, but we will try our very best to do so as we absolutely love what we do! We thank you for your understanding as our charity continues to develop.

Please see at the bottom of this page visual examples of the benefits of your school being a member of The Butterfly Effect.

Why 'The Butterfly Effect'?

The name reflects the ethos and 'butterfly' connotations of The Papillon Project. It is said that: 'A minor change such as a butterfly beating its wings can, in time, create phenomenal change such as a typhoon in another part of the world'. We absolutely believe that 'The butterfly is a positive symbol of transformative change in nature, from its previous life as a caterpillar'. (David Holmgren, Co-Founder of Permaculture). Just like ripples spreading out and growing larger on water, it takes one small change to make a massive impact. We are truly humbled to learn that our multi-award-winning flagship project at Reepham High School & College (The Allotment Project) has created its own ripple effect by directly inspiring other secondary schools to create their own school allotments in Norfolk.

The Butterfly Effect, as a network, aims to harness the positive energy of all the schools that we work with and to bring people together with a common goal of sharing inspiration and promoting school allotments. The more schools that are involved, the bigger the ripple and the greater the impact will be. Who knows where these ripples of inspiration could lead?