Willesborough
Dykes in Colour
Schools who took part in an environmental education project on
Willesborough Dykes have demonstrated what they learnt and enjoyed most
through art and writing. The
schools created large colourful collages incorporating many of the animals
they studied on Willesborough Dykes including smooth newts, slow worms,
lizards, orange-tip butterflies and various birds.
The
prize for the best collage went to
East
Stour
Primary School
. Dr Hilary Moorby from the
Kent
branch of Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) made the tough decision
on Thursday 19th June in the Ashford Designer Outlet who kindly
hosted the magnificent exhibition.
Schools
taking part included St Simons, Oak Tree Primary, Willesborough Junior,
Beaver Green Community Primary, Kingsnorth C of E Primary School, and
East
Stour
Primary School
.
The
School was presented with a certificate and a range of wildlife books.
Organiser of the event Debbie Adams from the Kentish Stour
Countryside Project said, ‘The children have worked so hard on the
collages and the detail clearly demonstrates that the environmental
project successfully sparked their imaginations and educated them about
the wealth of wildlife that thrives on their doorstep’.
The
exhibition is a result of nearly 20 sessions on Willesborough Dykes, the
area of
flo
odplain grazing land to the south of Ashford town centre.
The activity sessions were designed to encourage pupils to get
closer to the wildlife in their area and appreciate the principals of
protecting endangered wildlife and safeguarding green spaces in a thriving
and expanding town.
The
Kentish Stour Countryside Project would like to thank the Ashford Designer
Outlet for displaying the exhibition and thank all the pupils that took
part.
The
Kentish Stour Countryside Project has also produced an education
pack for schools and youth groups about activities that can be carried
out in the Ashford Green Corridor – the riverside land through Ashford.
There are activity sheets to download, teachers notes, site guides and
special instructions for Youth Groups. Choose from ‘It Makes Sense’,
‘Habitat Explorers’, ‘Marvellous Minibeasts’, ‘Who’s Eating
Who’ and ‘Down by the River’. Find out more by visiting
www.ashfordgreencorridor.org.uk
