HOLY CROSS SCHOOL BIO-DIVERSITY PROJECT

Junior pupils from Holy Cross School, Wenlock Road, Shrewsbury are busy creating a biodiversity garden at the school. It has been designed by the children, local businesses, and major national organisations have given advice and assistance to the project.

The pupils, aged between 7 and 11 years of age, are planning to create a bog garden, an area for butterflies and insects, an edible area for bird-feeding, a wildflower area, and an area which will include hedgerows and bushes. They have already built two hibernacula (for reptiles to hibernate).

The Really Wild Club meets on a weekly basis and has enjoyed visits from wildlife experts and have learnt to grow plants and seeds themselves. The pupils are involved with the Action Earth Project (which assists community and school groups to improve bio-diversity in the community).

Hilary Clarke a parent volunteer and leader of the after school club said: " We have received assistance from a number of organisations and I would particularly like to thank JDM Accord who are putting in the groundwork and laying paths, and also Fourwood Joiners & Casemakers of Monkmoor Trading Estate, Shrewsbury who created bird box kits, so that the children could then assemble the bird boxes themselves. The RSPB have been a great help and the National Trust has offered support by placing some of our bird boxes in the grounds of Attingham Park and the gardeners at Powis Castle have given us lots of wonderful plants particularly chosen for their value to wildlife.

We have received grants from the Community Council of Shropshire, and from the Bio-Diversity Fund West Midlands who gave funds specifically towards the bog garden. Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council's Countryside Unit loaned tools for the bird box workshop, and also donated wood for logpiles, with some larger pieces which we aim to make into chainsaw sculptures using the children's designs.

Dobbies of Shrewsbury gave us some compost for the seed planting and we are just about to visit the Dingle Nursery near Welshpool who have also been very generous and will be helping the children to choose plants for the garden. It's wonderful seeing the ideas the children have had slowly becoming a reality. The garden will be a real asset for the school but the children are keen for other community groups to enjoy it too."