Year 5 and 6 from the Grove Primary School in Totnes came out in January and February this year and helped us plant around 250 young trees at Lower Sharpham Farm - a brilliant achievement!
The students brought good luck with them: it stayed dry for all the three days.
The students didn't bat an eyelid in the cold and bracing wind and got stuck right in. They had a full tree-planting and tool briefing first by Izzy, Jaya and Chris of Ambios Ltd and really loved being fully hands-on being trusted to use the tools.
Lisa Carnell, Sharpham Trust Education and Events coordinator said: "I was so impressed with their focus and enthusiasm. They showed that they really cared by following the instructions really well and planting the baby trees carefully and to a high standard.
"We talked about how old they would be when the trees turned ten which is when their tree guards are likely to be removed (the children would be 19 and 20!).
"I thanked the students wholeheartedly as they had taken part in a practical action that will make a real and positive difference in the future - their future. Our rallying cry was 'hope into action!'.
Said The Grove School's Adrian Gude: "The kids really enjoyed it, and I think also understood the significance of what they were doing."
The trees were all planted in a strip on the field boundary to widen the hedgerow alongside the Totnes to Ashprington foot & cyclepath, uphill from the reedbeds
The school visits were funded by our Wild About Trees Project, funded by the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest - an ambitious initiative which aims to plant nearly 6,000 trees across the 550-acre Sharpham Estate. With the support of our partners at Ambios and our much-valued volunteers, we work alongside local schoolchildren, youth groups, and retreat participants, empowering them to take part in rewilding efforts and instilling a sense of ownership and stewardship over the land.
