PUPILS at a school in Prestatyn are creating a haven for nature to survive on their school grounds.
Ysgol Penmorfa pupils are looking after the biodiversity around their school to help tackle the climate and nature emergency.
The school has created multiple outdoor areas for wildlife to thrive, including their biodiversity friendly garden, wildflower areas and tree corridors.
Over winter, the school planted 400 trees from the woodland trust on their grounds and 15 heritage fruit trees with the help of Denbighshire’s countryside service team, creating a wildlife corridor of saplings and long grass around the outside of their school field.
Through advice and support from Denbighshire County Council’s biodiversity team, pupils are moving ahead with increasing support for the nature on site by using what the school grounds are providing.
Council staff recently visited Ysgol Penmorfa to run a biodiversity session for pupils from the life skills gardening group.
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Pupils were given help by the team to collect seeds from their school grounds to help replenish and boost their existing wildflower areas, and hopefully create more in the future using this sustainable seed source.
Council staff also led a bug hunt around the school grounds to show pupils the value of these wild areas to invertebrates and other wildlife.
Ellie Wainwright, biodiversity officer, said: “It was wonderful to see how enthusiastic the children were about the different invertebrates living on their school grounds.
“It’s so important for them to learn about and interact with nature for both their health and the future health of the planet.
“The wild areas Ysgol Penmorfa have created are absolutely buzzing and every action like this helps to tackle the climate and ecological emergency, ensuring a future for these children.”
Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Wales is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world with one in six species in Wales at risk of extinction and more than 97 percent of our wildflower meadows have been lost in the last 100 years.
“So what these pupils are doing here is amazing, their care and passion towards learning how to protect these habitats on their own school grounds is something we can all learn from.”
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