The centrepiece of the Wildlife Champions Day will see participating school communities help Devon Wildlife Trust begin the task of planting 700 trees in Mincinglake Valley Park, a large public green space which it manages on behalf of Exeter City Council. Pupils will also be able to join workshops on marine life and its protection, learn practical tree identification skills and take part in a survey of local minibeasts and bugs.

Paul Martin said:

“The day will typify the approach we’ve developed over the last ten years. We go into schools to help children learn with, in, through and about nature. This allows them to develop ‘natural-literacy’ – the idea that we can learn to ‘read’ the world around us and know our place within it, as well as take responsibility for achieving a positive future for wildlife and people.”

Over its decade of working with Devon’s young people the Wildlife Champions project has partnered 104 schools, reaching more than 25,000 pupils. Devon Wildlife Trust staff have taken 600 nature-based sessions in schools, conducted 250 ‘bug bunts’ with pupils and planted 4,250 trees in school grounds and other public spaces.

Ms Georgia Scott teaches at Willowbrook Primary School in Exeter. The school has worked with Devon Wildlife Trust on the Wildlife Champions project since 2016. Ms Scott said: 

“The wildlife in the world is dwindling no one else is going to save it apart from the children we work with. We’ve got to give them the skills, we’ve got to give them the belief that they can do it, and the passion because this is our future”

Devon Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Champions work has been supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, South West Water, the National Marine Aquarium, The Darlington Charitable Trust and South Devon Nature Trust.