Members of Castle Newnham School’s Eco Club donned their wellies and got stuck in to take part in a large tree planting project at Wimpole Hall near Royston recently.
The club is made up of pupils from all year groups and meets every Tuesday to explore ways in which they can improve and influence the effects of climate change both in their own homes, environments and further afield.
The trip to Wimpole Hall was an opportunity for club members to take part in conserving and developing this important historic estate which dates back to 1640.
The hall is set in 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland which are now owned by the National Trust. The aim is to plant 1,000 trees at Wimpole Hall over the next 10 years.
Tree planting at Wimpole Estate is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project.
Merali of Year 7 said that the club had a fantastic day digging and planting.
“It was very difficult and tiring digging through heavy soil but we all wanted perfect holes for our trees,” she said.
“The first tree I planted was a little twiglet of an oak, while my second was a silver birch. Some of my classmates planted other native ones such as maple and hawthorn trees.”
Overall, the team planted 36 trees.
“We were shown how to plant shrubs, which would make a perfect shelter for small mammals hiding from predators,” said Merali.
“I planted a dog rose. Some of my friends planted crab apple and hazel shrubs. Altogether we planted 18 shrubs. We also saw some of the wildlife that we would be helping including buzzards and red kites.”
Geography tutor Vikky Cook said: “This group is passionate about helping with the biodiversity and habitats in our area but also to help with global warming.
“This was a great opportunity to take part in a fantastic project.”
