£110,000 to be claimed by West Northamptonshire schools
Eleven local schools have each been offered a £10,000 grant under the national Education Nature Parks initiative to improve biodiversity within their grounds. Climate Action-West Northamptonshire, a local volunteer climate action group, has been asked to help the nominated schools make the most of this opportunity, which closes on 27 March.
How the school spends its cash is for them to decide but it would be a shame to miss out on this government-funded scheme to involve children and young people as much as possible in taking positive action against climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
Up to half the grant can be spent on getting someone else to do the work, whether it’s a design to make the most of the opportunity or to help with the manual labour of getting it done. Part of the cash can even be used to build a secure place for storing gardening tools.
In the first instance someone connected to each of the schools listed below needs to fill in a simple registration form and use an online map to draw a line round the school’s boundary. Form-filling help is readily available and once the funding has been approved even more help is there to deal with the technical aspects of improving the school’s biodiversity.
- Abbeyfield School
- Billing Brook Special School
- Castle Academy
- DSLV E-ACT Academy
- Gloucester Nursery School
- Lumbertubs Primary School
- New Horizons Academy
- Northampton Academy
- Northampton International Academy
- The CE Academy
- Thorplands Primary School
Even if your school isn’t listed, a national charity called Learning through Landscapes has loads of advice on how make the most of outdoor spaces and help every child enjoy the benefits of learning and playing outdoors. They can also support eligible schools through the application process.