York Road Academy – Dartford

Last week we went to York Road Academy – a school in Dartford that is setting up a new garden area with a strong emphasis on birds and wildlife. The young pupils from the Language Unit have a tiny area to work with but they already have a pond and lots of bird feeders. We visited during the lunch break to meet up with the Bird and Garden Club members. While some sowed seeds in pots others cleaned the bird feeders and filled them up with fresh food. We met the Executive Head Teacher and passed on a cheque as a donation from our group. The money will be used to purchase some screening and a small bird watching hide . Children on the playground during their break times love peeping into the wildlife area but doing so disturbs the birds. Hence the need for the hide. A great idea that promotes the concept that wildlife watching is interesting and fun – and that wildlife needs its own space.Our thanks to Julie who is the project leader, the Head and the youngsters for making us so welcome.