Oakwood Primary Academy sows the seeds of spring for Garden Wildlife Week

To celebrate this year’s National Garden Wildlife Week, some of the students at Oakwood Primary Academy got hands-on with nature, creating a new mini meadow of wildflowers in their backyard with help from local housebuilder, Barratt David Wilson Homes.

The housebuilder donated 31 build-your-own seed bomb kits to the school designed to be planted in the pupil’s outdoor space at home, with each set containing the ingredients to make around 20-30 seed bombs using peat free clay, wool and a selection of 22 native wildflower seeds. Once fully grown, the wildflowers will improve pollinating biodiversity in gardens by providing a food source for bees.

Phil Hurring, Marketing Manager at David Wilson Southern Counties, said: "With 97% of species-rich wildflower meadows having been lost nationally over the last 100 years, we recognise the importance of protecting and promoting local biodiversity, and are committed to giving back to the communities in which we build. We hope our donation highlighted to the children that even through small steps like making a seed bomb, we can make a real difference in our supporting our local wildlife.”

Ms Taylor, Year Two Teacher at Oakwood Primary Academy, comments: “Seed bombs are a great way to introduce gardening to our younger pupils and offer hands-on experience with nature. Our Year Two curriculum focuses on wildlife, sustainability and protecting our local green space, so this activity has helped demonstrate to the pupils how small steps can have a big impact on our environment. The pupils have certainly come away with a newfound interest in sustainable gardening, and we will continue developing their interest in wildlife conservation.”

The donation of seed bombs is part of Barratt David Wilson Southern Counties’ wider commitment to sustainability and responsible development. Meadowburne Place has been designed to host multiple eco-friendly features such as bird boxes, inclusion of native plants and hibernacula. The site also has electric vehicle charging points on selected plots, low energy lighting and water saving measures to compliment the wildlife initiatives taken.

A selection of seed-bomb-making kits are also available for local families to collect from the Sales and Marketing Suite onsite. Residents can reserve their kits by emailing [email protected]. Meadowburne Place is located on St Martins Road, Lower Willingdon, BN22 0LG.