There was no stopping a team of Ulverston school children who planted 1,400 wildflowers in under two hours.
The six and seven-year-olds from Croftlands Infant School planted wildflower plugs to create a pollinator friendly habitat that will benefit bees, butterflies, moths and other insects.
The event at Croftlands Park was part of a two-year initiative called Get Cumbria Buzzing Not Buffering.
It is a partnership between Cumbria Wildlife Trust and full fibre broadband organisation Fibrus which provided £150,000 funding to help create and restore community wildflower sites across Cumbria.
This investment forms part of Project Gigabit, the Government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities across the country to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband.
Shannon Horrocks, Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s grassland conservation officer said: “Thirty-six children came along to Croftlands Park in Ulverston, full of enthusiasm – they worked so quickly we actually finished ahead of schedule!
“They loved learning about worms and soil health, and we talked about how the wildflowers will look next summer and which pollinators will enjoy them.
“Through Fibrus’ support, together we have now restored 12 sites across the county, which are creating pollinator-friendly habitats.
“It’s fantastic to see young people getting hands-on, learning about nature, and seeing the difference they can make in their local environment, while also contributing to a wider network of green spaces for pollinators across Cumbria.”
The UK has lost over 97 per cent of wildflower habitat. “It is declining rapidly so it is really important to teach children about it,” said Shannon. “Also, because it is so close to these children’s homes and school they will get to see how the area changes over time.”
The children planted eight different species of native wildflowers including Ox-eye daisy, ragged robin and meadow cranesbill.
Donal Anderson, environmental and sustainability specialist at Fibrus said: “We’re really pleased to support this project, which not only helps bring wildflowers back for pollinators across Cumbria but also gives local children and communities the chance to get outside, get hands-on, and enjoy the results on their doorstep.”
