Northamptonshire pupils build their biodiversity knowledge in ‘Eco Buddies’ activity with Orbit Homes

Pupils from Hayfield Cross Church of England School in Barton Seagrave are the latest group of students to become ‘Eco Buddies’ after participating in an environmental education programme from Orbit Homes.

‘Eco Buddies’ started with students learning more about the vital role that plants and animals play in keeping our planet healthy and what they can do to promote greater biodiversity. Pupils then teamed up with volunteers from Orbit Homes and teachers to build and decorate their own bird boxes.

The children also got an insight into sustainable construction and how Orbit Homes works to integrate eco-friendly features into its new homes and developments, such as hedgehog highways and bug hotels.

Emily Kemp, Regional Marketing Manager at Orbit Homes, said: “We were delighted to join pupils at Hayfield Cross Church of England School for a fun Eco Buddies session. It was a wonderful chance for us to help the children continue their learning about the environment and show them what they can do to promote greater biodiversity, both at home and at school.

“All the pupils were brilliant at building and decorating their very own bird boxes and we’re very grateful to the school for welcoming us in for an exciting day.”

Sophie Whybrow, Eco and Sustainability Lead at Hayfield Cross Church of England School, added: “Students are really active in our own Eco Club here at school so ‘Eco Buddies’ naturally came as an amazing opportunity for them to extend their environmental learning further and broaden their understanding of biodiversity. 

“The pupils absolutely loved the bird box activity and the way it gave them the chance to get more hands-on with their interests in protecting local wildlife. The children are thrilled that they’ve become ‘Eco Buddies’ and we’d like to thank Orbit Homes for visiting us and sharing a very fun experience with the pupils.”

Eco Buddies is designed to support students in understanding the importance of nature and how all living things are connected. Free classroom resources are available for schools to download at orbithomes.org.uk/eco-buddies.

To book a visit and for more information, schools can contact eco.buddies@orbit.org.uk

Eco Buddies joins Building Buddies, another free educational programme from Orbit Homes that allows primary school children to experience hands-on visits to construction sites. Find out more about ‘Building Buddies’ here.

Orbit Homes is currently building a range of new homes at developments across Northamptonshire, including Micklewell Park in Daventry, Hanwood Park in Kettering, Woodland Valley in Rothwell and Priors Hall Park in Corby.

For more information on Orbit Homes’ developments across the Midlands, visit: www.orbithomes.org.uk

Picture caption: Northamptonshire pupils from Hayfield Cross Church of England School built and decorated bird boxes alongside Orbit Homes colleagues as part of the housebuilder’s free ‘Eco Buddies’ educational programme.