Creating an ‘EcoPatch’ with School Children

Pupils from a Hereford primary school swapped the classroom for a construction site when they visited the new Cyber Quarter Midlands Centre for Cyber Security.

Year three pupils from Lord Scudamore Academy joined building contractor Speller Metcalfe to help create an ‘eco patch’ at Skylon Park, Rotherwas.

The children created animal environments including two large ‘bug hotels’ and were given a lesson in health and safety.

Class teacher Kelly Steele said:

“The children really enjoyed the day with Speller Metcalfe. They used communication skills, practised turn taking and worked well together as a team. They also understood the importance of this green initiative. This is something we encourage at our school through Forest School lessons and our commitment to being eco-friendly.”

The centre, a joint venture between Herefordshire Council and the University of Wolverhampton, will provide resources for research, development and training and space for cyber companies.

Speller Metcalfe environmental lead, Sam Minett-Smith said:

“Building work obviously can have a negative impact on the environment so it’s really important for us to do what we can to try to offset this. One of the ways we do this is by creating positive environments for the wildlife which could potentially be disrupted by our activity and it was fantastic to see how much the children enjoyed getting involved.”