Primary school children have helped plant hundreds of new trees in a valuable ancient woodland in Bromsgrove.
Pupils from Fairfield and Forestdale Primary Schools braved the freezing temperatures to help the Woodland Trust plant trees on the new Pepper Wood Extension in the area.
Dressed in puddle suits and a pair of wellies, the children managed to plant around 400 trees which will be an asset to helping the environment in years to come.
Headteacher at Fairfield Primary School, Scott Smith, said: "Everyone was very excited at the thought of planting so many trees and helping to change the outlook of our local environment.
"The children were also amazed at the list of wildlife that they might help attract to the area. Being involved in such a wonderful project has given the children a degree of ownership and pride which will hopefully encourage them to use and look after the area for many years to come."
Headteacher at Forestdale Primary School, David Foster, added: "New experiences are a fundamental part of developing our children at Forestdale. Some of our children had never walked across a field before or used a kissing gate.
"So planting trees to help and support the environment builds on the classroom curriculum giving them the practical experience which reaffirms the knowledge of their environment they learn in the classroom."
Pepper Wood is an ancient and valuable community woodland that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and has a great diversity of trees, shrubs and rare flowering plants.
Through generous funding from the Environment Agency, the Woodland Trust has started establishing 250 acres of continuous, resilient native woodland and reinstating Pepper Wood as a community asset.
Woodland Trust site manager at Pepper Wood, Jane Ward, said: "The children have helped us to develop a new wood that will eventually become a thriving habitat for wildlife.
"Through these planting events, we also hope to inspire the next generation of conservationists who will make real change in our fight against climate change and nature loss."
To find out more visit www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
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