Pupils and staff from Poole Grammar school have shown their support to wildlife in Dorset by donating £660.84 to Dorset Wildlife Trust’s (DWT’s) Urban Wildlink Appeal in support of DWT’s most ambitious conservation project, The Great Heath Living Landscape.
A non-school uniform day was organised by student, Adam Hinks, to raise money for wildlife in the local area.
Bursar and Clerk to the Governors of Poole Grammar school, Johnathan Stiby, said, “The pupils and staff of Poole Grammar School are delighted to support Dorset Wildlife Trust, which has been so helpful with the school’s Green Week which takes place each year in May. We are keen to support local charities and organisations when we can, and are really pleased that this particular donation can be used to help protect key wildlife habitats within our local community.”
The money will be donated to Urban Wildlink , which aims to raise the funds needed to secure ownership of 1435 acres of wildlife-rich land, currently being sold by the historic Canford Estate. Once secured, the land will form the foundation of the development of an ambitious new partnership venture ‘The Great Heath Living Landscape’ which will be delivered across south-east Dorset.
Nicky Hoar, Conservation Officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “This generous donation shows how much the students of Poole Grammar School care about their local environment, which is what Urban Wildlink is all about. The school is very close to two of the sites that the project partners aim to buy so it is especially important to have this support for our aims to create Dorset’s first urban living landscape. Thank you!”
The new Great Heath Living Landscape reflects the joint human and natural history of the area, with its diverse landscape of heathland, farmland, woods, wetlands and harbours. DWT and its partners want the Great Heath Living Landscape to be rich in wildlife, highly valued, and enjoyed and nurtured by people to create an environment where the people of the conurbation of Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and East Dorset feel connected to nature.
The Great Heath Living Landscape is a partnership project involving Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Erica Trust, Poole Harbour Commissioners, Borough of Poole, Dorset County Council Countryside Service and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust. Following the grant of development funding of £85,900 by the Heritage Lottery Fund, DWT has applied for a further £2.4 million to fund The Great Heath Living Landscape. The public appeal aims to raise the remaining £300,000. For more information or to donate, please visit: https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/the_great_heath.html
