PUPILS at a York school were joined by the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, when they opened their new wildlife garden.

The year-long project at Bishopthorpe Infant School developed a small space at the side of the school playground.

Teacher Andy Burt said: “The children’s ideas have been central to the development of this project and we have been inspired by their creativity.

“Some made box models to show what they would like to see in the space, others painted pictures or made lists of what they would like the area to contain.

“Each of the volunteers working on the project have backgrounds in landscaping and they created final designs for our space using ideas taken from the children’s own designs.

"The designs were then shared with children and parents and the hard work of digging and clearing the area began. Many weekends were given over to the digging, clearing and preparation of the ground with teams of keen volunteers.”

The finished wildlife garden contains a variety of features such as a wildflower meadow and a den-making area, all planted by the children. There is also a butterfly area with plants to attract insects, a bog garden and a story area with a willow arbour.

The children planted the areas and parent volunteers added a mixed hedge at the borders. A bird table, insect hotel and log pile also feature in garden.

Dr Sentamu said: “The natural world is a gift from God to enjoy; but we are also called to join with God in sustaining and caring for it. It’s fantastic that Bishopthorpe School is putting the environment at the heart of school life and that so many volunteers have worked together to make this happen. When we pull together as a community, the best is yet to be!”

As the area develops and grows, it will be used for a range of creative activities, including a mosaic week this term.