Bangers and cash
A Hampshire primary school has donated £500 to the Woodland Trust that it raised from, among other things, a percentage of sales from a speciality sausage.
Wicor Primary School in Portchester devised the sausage with a local butcher using Jack in the Hedge, a garlic mustard that grows in the school grounds.
The school also raised the money through bake sales, sponsored events and the proceeds from a blend of tea devised with a Portsmouth tea merchant.
Headteacher Mark Wildman presented the money to Woodland Trust outreach adviser Luke Everitt after a day of tree planting.
The school received 179 free hazel, whitebeam, aspen and spindle saplings from the Trust as well as four larger trees – Oak, hornbeam and cherry.
Mr Wildman said:
“We have applied for the Woodland Trust’s free trees for schools packs in the past and enjoyed planting them but decided to take things a step further this year. Luke visited the school and we had a walk round deciding what could be planted where.
“Every child has helped plant one of the trees and it has given them a real sense of pride. I’ve seen many parents being dragged across a muddy field by their child saying “I planted that!”
“It’s given them a real connection with the environment. We have a very strong environmental curriculum. Eventually we’d like to have a specimen of every native tree in our grounds so we can create a living library.”
The school has created a hazel grove, the wood from which will be used for fencing, as firewood for its pizza oven and to sell to raise money for charity.
Luke Everitt said:
“We’re very grateful to the school for their generous donation. We will use it to fund further tree planting activity. The school has a beautiful site. It was a pleasure to be able to visit and advise on what would work best for them and to then help them get the whips in the ground.”
Mr Wildman added:
“We had some strong winds after we had planted and some of the whips were blown over. The children were really upset but got straight back out there to replant them. It’s taught them that the trees have a vulnerability and need looking after.
“We need to appreciate trees more. If any other schools are thinking about doing what we’ve done, I’d say do it. You might have to be brave and consider losing some of your fields but the expertise we received from the Woodland Trust was great. Trees are magnificent. We should all be planting more.”
Applications for free trees for schools from the Woodland Trust are now open for delivery in November.
To apply, or find out more visit
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