St James CE Primary Academy habitat restoration 

St James CE Primary Academy, in Rugeley, was awarded £1,500 from the 2018-19 PEBBLE grant to help restore habitats in the school grounds.

The trees in the school grounds had become damaged and needed maintenance to help them thrive. The grant paid for the school to hire contractors to restore six trees which were being suffocated by ivy. In addition, the grant also paid for the safe removal of a dead Ash tree, which was no longer providing a habitat, but was also a health and safety risk.

The school kept the Ash tree that was taken down and used it to create and enhance habitat in their outdoor area. They used the branches from the tree to create a nature hotel in the school grounds, hoping to encourage birds, hedgehogs and mini-beasts to all make a home in the school grounds. The school also used bark chippings to enhance their existing nature area.

The creation of the nature hotel and enhancement of the existing nature area was a great success and there are hedgehogs hibernating in the nature hotel and a family of squirrels residing in the nature area.

Tree being smothered by ivy (before and after). Images by kind permission of St James CE Academy