Thriving Nature: New Natural Play Area Transforms Local School in St Stephens

Imerys and St Stephen Churchtown Academy Join Forces for Biodiversity and Wellbeing

In a heartwarming collaboration, Imerys has partnered with St Stephen Churchtown Academy in St Stephen, St Austell, to create a natural play area aimed at promoting children’s health and wellbeing while enhancing local biodiversity.

Hands-On Learning and Green Initiatives

Imerys’ team dedicated a day to work alongside numerous classes, giving students hands-on experience in environmental stewardship. The children planted wildflowers in recycled tyres, established a new orchard with fruit trees, and painted bat and bird boxes. They also built insect hotels to support local bug populations.

Local suppliers contributed recycled materials for the project. These materials were transformed into picnic benches and work tables, creating a new area where students can eat, relax, and learn in a natural setting.

Gifts of Gratitude

To thank the students for their participation, each received a goodie bag. These bags included a paint set for outdoor art lessons and additional wildflower seeds to plant at home, encouraging continued engagement with nature.

Community and Environmental Benefits

Pete Sawford, EHS field officer at Imerys, highlighted the school’s desire to introduce more flora and make better use of an overgrown pond area. “We went above and beyond by providing benches and art sets so that they can go away and create art about their new-found nature knowledge,” he said.

Marc Burns, plant manager at Imerys, who has a personal connection to the school through his daughter, expressed his satisfaction with the project. “What better than giving back to the local school? We used upcycled pallets, free compost from SUEZ at Roche, and old tyres that we prevented from going to landfill,” he shared.

A Revitalised Space for Learning and Wellbeing

Lisa Jane, head of school at St Stephen Churchtown Academy, emphasised the multifunctional benefits of the new play area. “Before today, the back pond area was getting next to no use. Now we’ve enhanced the space, we hope to be able to use it as an outdoor classroom,” she said. “The bird and bat boxes tie in with science, wildflowers and planting can be linked with our art, and we have provided a sensory space for our children, and even healthy eating from our new fruit trees.”

Students also shared their excitement. Eden and Lily, both aged 11, described their planting activity. “We have been planting seeds on cards and they then dissolve, we have to make sure they are planted a hand deep in the soil,” they explained. Harry, another 11-year-old pupil, added, “The bug hotel will mean lots of ladybirds can have fun outdoors.”

A Sustainable Future

This collaboration between Imerys and St Stephen Churchtown Academy not only enhances the school’s environment but also instills important lessons about sustainability and community involvement in the young students. The initiative serves as a model for how local businesses and schools can work together to create enriching, eco-friendly spaces for future generations.