The Green Influencers Project Grant, which is part of the Trust’s Green Influencers Scheme, is being used by children at Bramley Vale Primary School in Chesterfield to bring their ideas to improve the outdoor areas for learning at their school to life. 

The group of pupils first began working with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in September to build bird boxes for the school grounds and create new pond dipping resources to get other classes involved in using the school pond. 

Whilst making these changes, the children decided that their classes didn’t get outdoors to learn often enough, so took the initiative to survey their teachers to find out why and have designed a plan to better enable outdoor learning at their school.  

In addition to the changes they have already made, the grant funding will allow the children to create a forest school area with a shelter in the woods made using a parachute, build a bird hide for watching wildlife, and improve pathways. The group also has plans to spread their love for the outdoors to more people with a community event to encourage others locally to help wildlife.  

Bramley Vale’s Green Mentor Diane Gould from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with these young people. They started their journey by making small changes to improve their outdoor spaces and from that they have become inspired to make big improvements to benefit the entire school and the wider community. 

“I have been so impressed with their commitment to the Scheme, from surveying the teachers to make sure they were coming up with the best solutions to the challenges of outdoor learning, to coming up with ideas that make the most of their existing spaces. 

“Hopefully their hard work and dedication will encourage more local young people, schools and groups to join take action for wildlife.”  

Mr Rumsby, Headteacher at Bramley Vale Primary School added: “As a school we had a real incentive to get the use of our woods firmly back on the curriculum and as a green thread of our CRAVE curriculum. Working with Diane from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust has more than breathed life into this ambition. She has opened a world of opportunities for the children and given us the tools via securing the funding to create an outside woodland centred learning space.  

“For the children at Bramley Vale Primary School, this will allow them to build on the Green Influencers work that was so much enjoyed, by allowing ALL children to get outside and learn through interactions with an environment beyond the classroom. The legacy of this initial work will be felt for years and years. A fantastic springboard to a brighter and greener future for our children and local community.” 

Under its Green Influencers Scheme, The Ernest Cook Trust is helping 36 Host Organisations - including Derbyshire Wildlife Trust - to fund the employment of 44 Green Mentors. Each Green Mentor’s role is to enable young people to lead the way as ‘Green Influencers’ on environmental social action projects, and the aim is to recruit 5,000 across the country. 

The Green Influencers Scheme is match-funded with the #iwill Fund. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. The Ernest Cook Trust is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.

So far around more than 70 Green Influencers Project Grants, each in in the region of £5,000, have been awarded to Host Organisations across the country. Each application for a project grant is considered by the scheme’s Youth Advisory Board, a group of driven and passionate 14 to 20-year-olds who recommend applications for funding to the Trust’s Board of Trustees. 

The Ernest Cook Trust’s Chief Executive, Dr Victoria Edwards OBE, said: “The Green Influencers Scheme is having a big impact across the country and the additional grants of around £5,000 for specific projects are helping to underpin the excellent work being done by our Green Mentors and the Green Influencers. These young people really are making a difference in their communities.” 

Find out more about joining the Green Influencers Scheme through Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and taking action for wildlife.