Children at Oakwood House Forest School in Edgerton, Huddersfield, have planted 16 trees in a bid to encourage more wildlife to the area.
Kids aged from 2 to 4 years old have helped plant a range of trees native to Britain including oak, beech, alder and birch in the garden of the former Edgerton Villa which situated in the heart of a conservation area.
The newly planted trees replace four old ones - some which were planted when the property was built over 100 years ago - that had to be felled for safety reasons.
The hope is that the trees will encourage more wildlife to the area which is home to many native species of birds and woodland animals including foxes and deer – a rare glimpse of a young deer was spotted on the nursery grounds in 2016 (Facebook link: https://fb.watch/4o9tKF-zWW/).
Oakwood House Forest School is part of the Portland Nurseries Group which has four sites across Huddersfield. All sites in the group hold the National Eco Schools Green Flag award - their highest accolade acknowledging commitment to environmental awareness within nursery environments and the local community.
“We took advice from the Woodland Trust on which were the best trees to plant,” said Michael Murphy, Joint Managing Director at Portland Nurseries. “As a result, we have planted an additional 12 trees and two additional Hawthorne bushes.
“We take every opportunity we can to teach the children about the natural world, so as well as serving an ecological purpose, planting these trees also served as an educational one too.
“It was always our wish to add more trees to the grounds because we are a forest school and are committed to providing safe and stimulating outdoor areas for our children,” added Michael. “We are also in the heart of the Edgerton conservation area and we have a responsibly to help preserve and help that as much as we can.”
