Children from St Gilbert’s CE Primary School help plant new woodland with Burghley Estate foresters

Children from a school’s eco committee have helped plant a new woodland that will be enjoyed for hundreds of years to come.

The pupils from St Gilbert’s CE Primary School in Foundry Road, Stamford, were invited to meadowland near Hudd’s Mill and on Friday (March 7) had the chance to work alongside foresters from Burghley Estate.

Accompanied by teacher Catherine Munson-Pike and some of their parents, the youngsters learned how to use spades correctly to dig a cut in the soil in which to insert a young tree next to a wooden stake, and then slide a protective sheath over it and lay a sheep’s wool mulch mat to stop the saplings being overwhelmed by weeds.

Among the species they got to grips with were English oaks, field maples, hornbeam and Scots pine, as well as planting lower-growing species including holly, dogwood, privet and hawthorn.

They have been arranged to create a woodland with taller tree surrounded by lower, denser foliage.

Chase Hewat, 10, who is on St Gilbert’s eco committee, explained that they meet regularly to discuss how the school can help the environment, and involve pupils, staff and parents in their various endeavours.

“We do this so our parents know what we are doing in school for the environment, and can join in and help too.”

Alfie Freeman, 11, said they had given a presentation during a school assembly with carbon as the theme, and that pupils had taken part in a choice of activities to reduce their carbon footprint.

“One of them was to go vegan for a day,” he said, before adding that he was unlikely to take it up full time.

“We have also had ‘green mornings’ involving parents, and we planted trees and flowers at school, made bug hotels and litter picked.”

The school has already achieved an Eco-Schools Green Flag ‘distinction’ award for its work so far.

Burghley Estate pledged to plant 70 acres of new woodland for ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy’, a project announced for her platinum jubilee in 2022, and now about 4,600 trees have been planted on land between Uffington Road and the river, starting from the bridge at Hudd’s Mill and stretching across to the back of the cricket pitch near Hindmarch Garage.

Peter Glassey, head forester for the estate, said: “The new wood will include about 25 species to make it more resilient to disease.

“Unfortunately, the fungal disease ash dieback has affected about one-third of our woodlands in England and we are considered the most nature-depleted country in northern Europe.

“Since about 80 per cent of ash trees won’t survive the next few years it’s important that we don’t just plant one species.

“As well as the trees we have chosen for the area where the children are working, nearer the river we have planted two types of willow trees, which prefer the wetter ground. They are also great pollinators for bees.”

Working with Burghley Estate, Stamford Community Orchard Group (Scog) has planted nearly 100 fruit trees on land the other side of the River Welland, between Hudd’s Mill bridge and the railway crossing.

The group, which has a community orchard at the end of Christ Church Close in Stamford is creating a new one on green space off Churchill Road, at the start of the footpath to Tolethorpe and Great Casterton.