Pupils of Milford on Sea Primary School have helped us plant a new orchard, located at Downton Manor Farm Quarry in Milford on Sea. Working in partnership with The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the new orchard has been created to benefit local wildlife and will become an important new space for the community.

Our team were joined at Downton Manor Farm Quarry last week by the primary school students, along with volunteers from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, and their CEO, Gill Perkins. Pupils spent the day learning about the importance of trees as a food source for bees, as well as being taught how to plant, prune and maintain a healthy fruit tree. Pupils then helped plant the final trees in the orchard, marking the project's completion.

The Milford on Sea orchard has been planted alongside the Jubilee Walk, a footpath set on carefully restored land, adjacent to one of our working quarries. The footpath will be extended into the orchard at different times throughout the year, for residents to enjoy and walk around. Forty new trees have been planted, including cherry, apple, pear, damson, crab apple and walnut trees.

Suzanne Wright, Strategy and Marketing Director at NMSB, comments: "The orchard was a fantastic suggestion by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which we are pleased we could accommodate at our quarry in Milford on Sea. The new orchard not only provides an important new habitat for wildlife, but also provides a unique new space for the whole community to enjoy. We are delighted that local school children were able to help us complete the planting of this exciting new facility."

Kristen Walker-Arnott, Teacher at Milford on Sea Primary School, comments: "Our school council/eco warriors were fortunate enough to be invited to take part in a tree planting event with NMSB and The Bumblebee Conservation Society. The aim of the event was to plant a range of fruit trees to make an orchard for the community to visit and to attract pollinators to the local area. The children showed enthusiasm, leadership and teamwork, while working hard to plant the trees. They thoroughly enjoyed this visit and learnt so much about how to plant new trees and the benefits on the community and wildlife. We were all so impressed with how the children engaged with the volunteers and team at NMSB which made this another hugely successful and enjoyable trip for everyone."