Digging deep for greener future

Young volunteers from Avonbourne College, calling themselves The Woodlanders, have been busy fundraising so they can create a new woodland at their school.

The enterprising girls – all Prince’s Trust volunteers – saw the fruits of their labour come together when they planted more than 40 saplings and semi-mature trees at a green site on the school’s grounds.

This new wooded area will be for all students in the area to benefit from, including neighbouring Harewood College and local primary schools.

Avonbourne’s director of enterprise, Kathryn Loughnan, said: “The girls have worked so hard to make this woodland a possibility.

“They raised hundreds of pounds through things like tree sponsorship schemes and cake sales and they also successfully applied for grant funding.

“The girls wanted to create a woodland to attract nature to the site, provide a resource for our science departments and provide a place for reflection and an outdoor study space.”

Altogether the girls raised nearly £1,500 to create the woodland – including securing a £1,000 grant from the Green Goals Community fund for environmental projects in Bournemouth.

They have received valuable support from Ringwood landscape gardener Will Laidlaw and sponsorship from Homebase, Haskins, JP Morgan, Stewarts, Cherry Tree Nursery, Golden Acres and the Woodland Trust.

With the money they have acquired 40 saplings, some semi mature trees, a hedgehog habitat, an insect grid which can house hundreds of creatures and two bird nests.

The woodland has been planted in the middle of a former landfill site, which has been grassed over and on the school grounds.

This site can never be developed on, which means the woodland will there for many generations to come.

The woodland will continue to be developed and the school would welcome more local businesses to help sponsor the scheme. Any businesses interested in getting involved should contact Kathryn Loughnan on 01202 398451.