A piece of overgrown school land in Plymouth, which has been fenced off for years, has been brought back into use as a wildlife garden. Parents and children at Stoke Damerel Primary School took part in a survey to help decide what the land should be used for. From this, ideas for a woodland trail around the perimeter of the school evolved.
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The children have taken an active part in designing and creating the wildlife area and will help maintain it. "We are setting up a variety of different zones, where children can study animals in different environments," explained science teacher Nicola Whitby. "The space will help us extend all areas of the curriculum outside of the classroom walls through creative art and play. "We also hope to have an area where children can produce their own food and use this in school meals preparation." The children have already designed places for quiet seating, made out of sustainable resources, where they can read, work or just chill out. The work has been undertaken with the help of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and the Devon Wildlife Trust.
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"We are committed to the idea that we need to get the younger generation into contact with nature so they can appreciate the wildlife around them," said John Haywood, community diversity officer with the Devon Wildlife Trust. "The project at Stoke Damerel is really demonstrating what we can do as a school community in this area to make a difference. "The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Springwatch campaign is encouraging people to go out and do things, no matter how big or small, and they can really make a difference to the environment." The school is also working with Peter Smithers, an entomologist in the biology department at the University of Plymouth. He's given the school advice on how to cultivate the area and create habitats for a wide variety of animals and insects. Pupil Daniel Robert Newcombe said: "Hopefully it will be really, really good fun as well as good for the school." It is also hoped the space can be made available to the wider community outside school hours. | 
