Children from Bardwell School and Longfields Primary School braved the cold weather to plant 18 lime trees for the NHS Forest at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, north Oxfordshire.
The children took part in digging holes, preparing the ground with bark cuttings and fixing the ties on the trees. Each child had a tree named after them.
A teacher at Bardwell School summed up what the project meant for them: “We had a wonderful morning. The students from Bardwell and Longfields Schools worked really well together, supporting each other and forming friendships. They worked hard, learning how to dig holes, plant the trees and pat down the ground. Each student loved the fact they had a tree named after them.
Before the visit we talked about the importance of positive outside spaces on the wellbeing of patients and their visitors in hospitals. The students understood that they were helping to improve the outside site at the Horton Hospital as well as helping the environment.
This has had a significant impact on our children, improving their self esteem through contributing to the improvement of the hospital grounds.”
The children have also enjoyed sharing their experiences with their respective schools in assemblies.
The trees need lots of rain, lots of sun and lots of love so they can grow easily and really quick.
Lauren, a pupil at Bardwell School
The pupils also took part in a site quiz and learnt lots of interesting tree facts, and good morning was had by all. Thanks go to Nicholsons who provided the trees and gave the children an introductory talk on tree planting.