On Friday, St Michael’s became a #ForceForNature and joined other schools across Britain in planting a new hedgerow thanks to the help of The Tree Council.
The new hedgerow will mark the boundary of our spiritual garden and provide food, shelter and a habitat for birds, insects and other small animals. The beds were prepared by Mr Moger helped by Deacon David and Year 5 children planted the trees in the morning. Later in the day Year 1 children came and spread wood chip mulch around the young trees and learnt how important mulching is to improve the soil, reduce weed growth, and conserve moisture to benefit the trees. The hedge is a mixture of British species: hawthorn (quick thorn), blackthorn (sloe)and hornbeam.
The wood chip mulch was obtained locally from Foxhill Firewood in Keston and we look forward to watching the hedgerow grow and develop.
Our space in school is limited but the hedging will aid our eco-awareness and be another natural resource alongside our fruit trees and raised garden beds on our infant site. Our nursery teacher is looking forward to bringing the children over to help tend the hedgerow, keeping it tidy and free of weeds and topping up the mulch as necessary.