We were the first Secondary School in Merton to participate in a Conservation Day and this was an exciting day for both students and Park Wardens. The Royal Parks have been working in Hyde Park and Regents Park for the last three years with their educational Conservation Days, and this year they were looking to expand the locations where they conduct these extra-curricular activities.

These days show students how important biodiversity is, taking their learning outside the classroom and getting students to physically engage with their environment. This year, we at Ricards, were fortunate enough to secure a place for our students and participate in this new exciting project.  This project will consist of two visits for the Environment Reps over this academic year. 

The Environment Rep trip to Bushy Park was super fun. We did loads of super fun activities, like cutting down brambles and planting bulbs. I learnt a lot, like what an invasive species is and what goes on behind the scenes at Royal Parks - Gloria, Year 7

Working alongside the Royal Park Wardens, the students were maintaining the grounds by creating new paths with wood chips, planting wild garlic and wood anemone to encourage pollinators and improve the biodiversity of the grounds. They also participated in an invasive species study and learned about the importance of managing invasive flora and fauna. Pupils worked tirelessly throughout the day and all contributed to the project.

We will be returning in June to see the progression made and continue our work together. 

Overall, I believe the trip to Bushy Park was amazing! The activities gave me an experience of what it was like to be a farmer/gardener, which taught me to be grateful for the food we eat and all the plants surrounding us. I liked the staff there and my favourite activity was planting bulbs.  - Thanuska, Year 9