Steve Backshall praises newly unveiled wildlife haven in Burnham school

Wildlife presenter Steve Backshall has praised a Burnham primary school for creating a wildlife haven to help kids connect to nature.

Our Lady of Peace Catholic Primary and Nursery School in Derwent Drive unveiled its newly revamped conservation space – featuring a wooded area with trees, plants, log seating and a pond – on Friday.

The project was supported by Burnham-based Elite Landscapes, which transformed the overgrown area on the school grounds by clearing the weeds, decaying trees and dense bushes.

School headteacher Nick Stopps, said: "We are very grateful to Elite Landscapes for supporting us on this project and for all their hard work in transforming the area.

"We are also very appreciative of the continued support we receive from Friends of Our Lady of Peace.

"We are very excited to be able to use this valuable asset as an outdoor learning space to enhance our pupils' understanding and development and give them more opportunities to connect with nature."

Friends of Our Lady of Peace – the school’s PTA – plans to install a bug hotel, wildlife cameras and a weather station to maximise the children's learning opportunities in the conservation area.

The site will be used for several activities, including science lessons for children to observe habitats and see the life cycle of frogs first-hand.

It will also serve as a calming sensory space for quiet reflection, as well as for story-telling and religious contemplation.

The school’s vision is to provide opportunities ‘to extend classroom activities and inspire a love of nature’ while also providing a ‘safe habitat for local wildlife’.

Nick Stopps unveiled the wildlife area to parents, staff and pupils at a ceremony on September 27 and it was the first time the area had been explored in nearly four years.

Attendees were served refreshments and had an opportunity to decorate a pebble for the ‘Kindness Rocks River’ and build a bug hotel.

Eight-year-old Sami Green, said: "It's like having our own secret garden! We are really excited to have lessons outside."

PTA member and parent Sophia Haque told the Express it was ‘so lovely for the kids’ to see the space ‘transformed’ not ‘just for science but for quiet reflection’.

BBC presenter and conservationist Steve Backshall sent the school and ‘everybody else in the community’ a personal video message congratulating them on providing a ‘special little haven for wildlife’.

Addressing viewers, he said: “I want to tell you that everyone at the school has done something very, very special and precious indeed.

“They've created a little haven for wildlife and nature which could be even bigger with your support.”

He told viewers to ‘take an interest’ and find out more by visiting the site or lending financial support to make the space ‘something that the whole of the rest of the nation can envy’.

Elite Landscapes senior commercial manager Mark Robinson added: “We were very happy to be involved with revitalising this beautiful, but previously overgrown, woodland and pond area.

“We hope the children and staff of Our Lady of Peace enjoy the use of this wonderful outdoor space for many years to come.”