Case Study

Pinner Park School

Pinner Park School children to plant trees to raise biodiversity awareness

More than 800 school children from Pinner Park Primary School planted hedgerows, a micro-forest, fruit trees and a wild flower meadow, with the aim of improving and raising awareness of biodiversity for the next generation.

More than 800 Pinner Park Primary pupils planted trees and plants in school
Aim of the project is both to improve local biodiversity and raise awareness of its importance for the next and future generation
Pinner Park Primary has partnered with Ground Control, a biodiversity and external maintenance business helping companies include biodiversity in their sustainability strategies post-COP-26.

The UK only has half of its natural biodiversity left, yet is dependent on these natural ecosystems for food, water, and clean air. The global loss of biodiversity is an urgent problem and poses as great a risk to humanity as global warming does.

The project is part of a wider biodiversity plan at Pinner Park Primary School and saw every pupil involved in planting either planting 150m of native hedgerow, a micro-forest, fruit trees and a section of wildflower meadow.

All the trees and plants that were planted reflect the local soil at the school and are designed to bring biodiversity net gain to the area. Among these are 22 native species of trees and shrubs suited to the heavy clay soil in the area, including Alder, Hazel, Hawthorn, Hornbeam, Oak, Poplar and Willow. The wildflower meadow is a native mix designed to attract pollinating insects.

Pinner Park School is working closely on the project with Ground Control, the biodiversity experts and external maintenance business committed to enhancing and improving the physical environment.

With a commitment to plant one million trees by 2025, Ground Control is breaking new ground in biodiversity. In 2019, the Chancellor’s spring statement made it mandatory for all new English developments to demonstrate a 10% increase in biodiversity.

Ground Control is in a unique position to deliver this biodiversity net gain – as well as the company’s work with schools like Pinner Park, it works across every road, railway and river in the UK on the ground delivery through Network Rail and the Environment Agency.

With 60,000 sites and infrastructure across the UK, Ground Control monitors where biodiversity is an issue, where it needs to be corrected, and delivers areas of biodiversity recovery around the country.

Nick Waldron, Headteacher at Pinner Park Primary School said:

Teaching about sustainability and biodiversity is very much part of our curriculum so it is exciting for the children to have the opportunity to see this in action in the real world. Planting a forest with Ground Control will be an experience they won’t forget and cement for them the importance of looking after nature and local wildlife in their own communities for the future.

Brian Smith, Group Business Development Director, Ground Control said:

The UK sits in the bottom 10% of all countries globally for biodiversity and this will not improve unless government, business, scientists and not-for-profits work together to turn this looming crisis around. Some of the impacts we’re seeing now include native wildlife species falling and invasive species continuing to rise, but in the future this will become a much bigger problem around the ability to produce food and clean water.

“Working with the school children at Pinner Park Primary School is wonderful because it not only educates them about the importance of biodiversity, and it also empowers them to make positive changes in their own back garden and spaces through their lives.

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