Victoria Primary School: Carrickfergus pupils plant more than 250 trees as part of Forest School scheme

The project, funded through Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and the Woodland Trust, saw children take to the school field on Tuesday, March 18 to plant a mixture of native trees including rowan, Irish oak, and hazel.

The project ties in with a number of pre-existing environmental initiatives at the Coronation Road school, which for the last seven years has held Green Flag status. "The idea [for the forest] originally came from the children in our Youth Governors and our Eco-Committee," said Hannah Galbraith, P5 teacher and the school's Eco lead. "Linking in with our Eco-Schools and our Green Flag, it's really great that we're thinking about biodiversity and planting native trees like hazel and willow to enjoy for years to come."

Primary seven pupil and Eco-Committee member Hollie outlined how the project aligns with current topic work on air in the classroom, with hopes the new ‘mini forest’ can become a base for outdoor learning.

And the gardening bug seems to have caught on for many of the pupils, with fellow Eco-Committee member Ben sharing how the group are planting flowers for Mother’s Day.

As pollinators, the native species planted by Victoria’s pupils will be good news for bees and other insects in the area, according to Chris Wood, Woodland Engagement Officer with the council.

Sourcing the seeds within Northern Ireland, meanwhile, increases the chances that the saplings will thrive in their new environment, with a number of schools in the borough already having benefitted from similar schemes. "We’ve planted in 35 schools across Mid and East Antrim – over 305,000 trees in the past year,” Chris added.

"That included an orchard at the front of the school last year, so the children will be able to enjoy apples from that in the years to come.”