IN the hopes of promoting children's health and wellbeing, and boosting natural biodiversity, Imerys has teamed up with a St Austell primary school to help develop a natural play area.

An Imerys' team spent the day with numerous classes at St Stephen Churchtown Academy planting wild flowers in recycled tyres, planting fruit trees for their new school orchard, painting bat and bird boxes and building insect hotels to help bugs thrive.

Imerys worked with local suppliers and made use of recycled materials to create picnic benches and work tables, giving the children a new area to eat, relax and learn.

Pete Sawford, EHS field officer Imerys, said: “The school wanted to introduce flowers and fruit trees, and to be able to make use of the pond area which had become overgrown.

“We went above and beyond by providing benches to the school as well as art sets so that they can go away and create art about their new found nature knowledge.”

Marc Burns, plant manager at Imerys, said: “My daughter goes to this school so it’s a win-win for me, what better than giving back to the local school? We used upcycled pallets, the compost that we got free from SUEZ at Roche, and old tyres that we prevented going to landfill.”

Lisa Jane, head of school at St Stephens Churchtown Academy, said: “Before today, the back pond area was getting next to no use, now we’ve enhanced the space, we hope to be able to use it as an outdoor classroom.

“There are so many benefits to this event — including social and emotional wellbeing. The bird and bat boxes tie in with science, wild flowers and planting can be linked with our art, and we have provided a sensory space for our children, and even healthy eating from our new fruit trees.”

Eden and Lily, pupils aged 11, said: “We have been planting seeds on cards and they then dissolve, we have to make sure they are planted a hand deep in the soil.”

Harry, another pupil aged 11, added: “The bug hotel will mean lots of ladybugs can have fun outdoors”