MANX LOTTERY TRUST HELPS FOXDALE SCHOOL’S GREEN CREDENTIALS
Foxdale School has received a grant from the Manx Lottery Trust for pupils to plant a legacy wood.
The grant of £700 was used to purchase three-metre-high trees to create a well-established wooded area. The trees selected are a mixture of species, indigenous to the Island to better attract a wide range of insects, birds and other wildlife. The small forest includes 30 mature saplings and has already become a haven for wildlife. It will also help to offset the school’s carbon footprint and be a lasting legacy from the school children and the community.
Chris Kirk, a teacher at Foxdale School, said: ‘We were hoping to involve as many parents and children as possible to set up the new woodland, but Covid-19 changed that as we only had a small window of planting time to get the trees in. Consequently, the week the school was closed, myself and a small team of helpers set about planting the trees - we even hired a mini-digger in order to speed things along! That Thursday (2nd April), a corner of the school field became a young woodland area.
‘As soon as lockdown took a firmer hold the site had to left but, just before the summer holidays, we had an opportunity to get the pupils involved once again - helping to sort the site and paint rocks for the cairn.
‘The woodland is a win-win because as well as being a green initiative, the area will be a great place for the children to play. The space previously only had a few bushes and shrubs and pupils often used that area for imaginative play, so the addition of the trees really enhances that. We’ll also be able to use the woodland for outdoor learning as it will attract lots of flora and fauna. We are very grateful to Manx Lottery Trust for its generous funding and were delighted to welcome them to school for the official launch in July.’
Manx Lottery Trust Chairman Sarah Kelly added: ‘It’s wonderful to see the children on our Island getting involved with protecting our environment. It was a pleasure for some of our team to attend the opening, engage with the pupils and watch as the children explored this new space.’
As the wood is located at the far end of the playing field, pupils and the local community will still have plenty of room for sports and games
