Pupils at a Cheshire school will be going wild soon.
The youngsters at Farndon Primary School have received a grant for £5,000 to help fund a new wildlife area.
The grant came from The MBNA Foundation and was used to redevelop a dormant garden and pond area into a fabulous pond and wildlife reserve.
Richard John, from MBNA’s Data Warehouse Department, applied for the donation on behalf of his child who attends the school.
He said: “The new wildlife area is fantastic. I’m really pleased that MBNA have been able to help the PTA fund this project. The area will allow current and future pupils at Farndon Primary to gain from the study of pond life and nature, growing to respect and understand wildlife.”
The donation is one of several grants made by The MBNA Foundation to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary in Chester. In total, 120 schools across the North West and North Wales have received a share of around £500,000 to fund improvements that enhance children’s learning environments and support projects that promote education.
Andrew Betts, a parent at the school and whose company, AJB Landscapes transformed the area, said: “It has been a pleasure to be involved in this fantastic project. The children are so lucky to have a facility like this at the school, where they can learn about wildlife and habitats and experience nature throughout the year. I am sure they will love building bug hotels and bird feeders, and going mini beast hunting! I’m excited to hear how the children benefit as the wildlife area beds in and more and more creatures move in!”
Headteacher of the school Andrew Walker said: “Learning about wildlife is an important part of the national curriculum and our new pond and wildlife area will significantly enhance our pupil’s learning, offering ‘hands on’ experience of the life cycles of pond insects, flowers, birds and other wildlife. A huge amount of work has gone into this project and we’re so pleased to see it come to fruition. We want to thank MBNA for their support in funding an outside learning area that will benefit children for many years to come.”
For more information about MBNA or the work of The MBNA Foundation, visit www.mbna.co.uk
