School celebrates Wildlife Award Winner

As the heatwave continued, all the pupils and staff of Tarvin Primary School assembled in the Community Woodland on July 19th to celebrate the eighth annual Jim Grogan Countryside and Wildlife Award which was won by Oliver Bebbington of year 6.
The award-winning Community Woodland adjoins the school and plays a significant role in the life of the school. Also attending were several trustees and volunteers from the Tarvin Community Woodland Trust.

The headmaster, Andrew Davies, praised the woodland as a resource for the school and also the trustees for all the work they do to develop and maintain the woodland. The award selection process had been stringent with-in school and out of school activities being considered. This year's winner is Oliver Bebbington of year 6 and Andrew read out the citation that had been fixed into the commemorative book that is on permanent display in the school's entrance hall.

"Oliver has always had a keen interest in both learning about wildlife and conserving the local area. He has taken part in a number of community projects. He helped in the tidying up of the Millennium Garden by the doctors' surgery along with the Beavers; he helped the Woodland Trust to replant snowdrops in the Woodland Walk and he has taken part in several organised litter picks.
Oliver also takes it upon himself to clear up litter left by others – to keep the village looking nice. He has a great sense of pride in the village. He will take the initiative because he has the sense of responsibility to do his bit.

Oliver has a keen interest in the local wildlife. He enjoys observing birds in the garden, particularly the buzzards, jays and woodpeckers. He also participated in the RSPB bird watch. He helps with the birdfeeders that have attracted pied wagtails, blue tits, great tits and sparrows into the garden. In addition, he likes to study and identify the different bugs he finds locally.

His love of wildlife extends into and beyond the local area; he studies the frogs in the garden pond – watching them develop from frogspawn – and he regularly visits both bird- of- prey centres and Chester Zoo to learn about the animals and their conservation. All these activities have given him an excellent knowledge of wildlife.
Oliver takes a keen interest in the garden and helps to grow and look after many vegetables – from planting the seeds to harvesting the crop – growing beans, cucumber, lettuce, celery and broccoli for the family.

Along with his sister, he has planted roses and wildflower seeds in memory of his Nana Jean and Grandad Derek, whom he used to help plant bulbs each year. His dedication to the understanding and conservation of the plants and wildlife of Tarvin village mean that Oliver is a truly worthy recipient of this year's award.

Stuart Exell, Chairman of the Trustees said that the award was so important to Jim Grogan and how pleased he would have been that it has been such a success for seven years now. He then presented Oliver with his certificate, a commemorative plaque and a book token. He expressed the hope that in the future some of the children present would become trustees and take the woodland forward.

The Jim Grogan Countryside and Wildlife Award is presented annually to the pupil of Tarvin Primary School who is considered to have the greatest breadth of knowledge and the best understanding of the animals and plants that make up the immediate environment of Tarvin School and Tarvin Village.

The Woodland has since been awarded a ninth consecutive Green Flag Award from the scheme that acknowledges excellence in Parks and Green Spaces."

Additionally, the Trust has helped the school with its Key Stage 1 science this year. Years 1 and 2 have had trips into the woodland escorted by teachers and trustees to look at what happens to the woodland during the different seasons. The programme was organised by retired science teacher and trustee, Charles Bradley, in conjunction with the teaching staff. At the Wildlife presentation representatives of years 1 and 2 presented the trustees with a beautifully decorated envelope containing a large number of lovely thank you letters. They showed how much the children had enjoyed the trips and learnt about the woodland.