Pupils create their own woodland

PUPILS from Thelwall Infant School kick-started the development of their own school woodland by planting more than 100 trees in their school grounds.
The woodland is being developed alongside the infant school’s sports field, where it will be used to host outdoor classes, also known as “Forest School” sessions.
Forest School sessions enable children to learn and play in a natural environment, getting involved with activities such as woodland arts and crafts and den-building.
The tree planting day was part of a project co-ordinated by The Mersey Forest and supported by the national Big Tree Plant Campaign and the Woodland Trust.
Local councillor Louise Fernyhough, who volunteers regularly with the school and is keen to encourage natural play, put the school in contact with The Mersey Forest Team.
She said: “It’s great to see kids mucking in to help plant their very own woodland.
“Not only will the woodland add colour and wildlife to the school grounds, but it will also be a great place to teach children about the local environment.”
Head teacher Alison Rostron said: “We’re all very excited by the prospect of nurturing our own school woodland. The benefits of natural play on children’s health and wellbeing are well documented – we can’t wait to get our Forest School sessions up and running.”