Published on: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Last updated: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Four pupils from Chappel Primary School, Essex, are celebrating after winning a ‘Bee Awareness’ award for helping to raise awareness about why bees are so important.
The competition was run by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership as part of Community Rail Week.
Local schoolchildren were asked to produce a picture or poem on wildlife or wildflowers and received a ‘Bee Awareness’ leaflet to provide background information about why the planet needs bees.
The four winners were all from Chappel Primary School, who produced colourful posters and poems.
They each received a £15 amazon voucher, and the school received a £200 amazon voucher.
Their winning entries will go on display at Chappel & Wakes Colne rail station.
The Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership has been working closely with the Bee Friendly Trust to install bee friendly sculptures – which double as insect refuges - and planting at rail stations across Essex in an effort to protect and conserve local bee populations.
Jayne Sumner, Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Engagement Officer, said, “We’ve been doing a lot of work at stations to make them little havens for wildlife – especially bees and other pollinators – and we wanted to widen this work out to the local community and get young people more involved.
“We were delighted with the entries we received, and the children really demonstrated an excellent understanding of the importance of conserving nature as much as possible.
“The message of Community Rail Week was ‘Go Green By Train’ and initiatives like these, as well as the fact that rail travel is the most environmentally friendly form of transport after cycling and walking, we hope will encourage people to think about the climate and nature and make changes to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint.”