School children in Salford got their hands dirty to kick off National Tree Week. The pupils planted a wild fruit hedge and fruit trees at their primary school, learning important lessons about health and the environment.
Over 25 pupils from St Joseph's Roman Catholic School in Ordsall braved the cold and spent the afternoon planting the fruiting orchard, which they will help to look after and harvest themselves.
The event follows a classroom fruit tasting session which took place at the school on 10 November, where the children tried different fruits and chose what they wanted to plant. Pupils chose to plant apples and pears, whilst stating a pledge to look after their health.
The unique project is a partnership between leading environmental organisation Red Rose Forest and NHS Salford's Self Care Team, which aims to encourage children and adults in Salford to look after their health and wellbeing including eating healthily and taking more exercise.
Margaret Ambrose, Head Mistress of St Joseph's said:
"It's great to get children involved on a project like this. Because they spent time trying fruit and got to choose what would grow in their playground, they feel ownership of the project and are excited about planting the trees, nurturing them and of course eating the finished product!"
Kevin Wigley of Red Rose Forest, which works with communities to create natural green spaces around Greater Manchester, added:
"Not only will children learn about staying healthy, they will also learn important lessons on nature, biodiversity and climate change. Planting trees in urban areas is really important to help reduce rising inner city temperatures, reduce the risk of flooding and help get nature back in our cities."
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