YOUNGSTERS at Hagley Primary School are working with a wildlife expert to give nature a special new home at the Wychbury Fields development.

Year 2 pupils will design friendly environments to feature at the show home gardens with the help of Richard Fishbourne.

Over the next few months, children will be visiting the CALA Homes site, as well as taking part in classroom-based activities, to create their own habitats, including simple and sustainable means of feeding birds, planting for wildlife and creating habitat and refuge for bugs, birds and bees.

Richard – who is best known for his collaboration with BBC Radio 2’s Terry Walton on ‘Tales from Terry’s Allotment’ – is working with the school as part of his ‘Bugs and Beasties’ initiative, which he founded get young people involved in creating more spaces for nature.

Vanessa Payne, headteacher, said: “The children thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different ways that they can create space for nature in the garden, from bug palaces and hoggy homes to bee and bird boxes.

“This is a fantastic initiative that is both fun and educational for the children, and will hopefully inspire them to build wildlife friendly features in their own gardens at home too.”

Gill Sabin, sales and marketing director for CALA Homes Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be working with the children at Hagley Primary School on this wildlife project.

“They have been extremely enthusiastic about the project and we look forward to seeing what ideas they create for the local wildlife.

“We have a number of continuous projects on the go including the creation of wildlife corridors, safe rehoming of a selection of animals and species, bat boxes and more to protect local, indigenous species.”