Blue Coat pupils' green credentials

Blue Coat pupils dig in

BLUE Coat pupils who have totted up 120 hours of conservation work between them celebrated with a barbecue - which they built themselves.

The 16 volunteers worked on a range of projects over several weeks with the Sholver Rangers Foundation, which manages Fullwood Nature Reserve, to complete their Oldham Youth Volunteering and Employability Award.

They did everything from coppicing and woodland management to building fences, managing the sports pitch and improving access for disabled visitors.
The pupils were also given £500 to buy and build raised planting beds which will be used by the community.

One of their final projects was to build a barbecue, using bricks they found on site - which they then tried out at the celebration event. They also received certificates at a ceremony in school.

The pupils’ placement was organised by Voluntary Action Oldham and they worked with the environmental charity Groundwork.

Teaching assistant Sally Hibbert said: “The whole project from start to finish has been really rewarding for all the students. They have been able to put their skills to practical use and develop lots of new skills along the way.

:It has been very satisfying watching the site improve week by week as a result of the hard work put in by the students.”

Stuart Murray, young persons development officer at Voluntary Action Oldham, added: “This has been an excellent example of how we encourage young people to gain the practical experience they will need to showcase their readiness for work.

“What’s been fantastic about this project is some of the young people are gaining confidence about what to do after school. Some of the volunteers want to continue with conservation and outdoor work and feel ready to step out of school and into a successful career.”

The Oldham Youth Volunteering and Employability award is for 14 to 25-year-olds.
For more information contact stuart.murray@vaoldham.org.uk.