Stephen Morgan MP says it is important for children to engage with and learn about nature, following a visit to plant a tree at Meon Infant School in Milton, Portsmouth.
The school, which forms Meon Way Federation with Moorings Way Infant School and Meon Junior School, received support from Portsmouth City Council and Trees for Cities to create a vibrant and thriving green area of their playground.
The space is now complete with beautiful plants and a place to grow fruit and vegetables. The green space is already being enjoyed by children and staff and will support pupils as they learn about the environment around them.
To mark this special development, Stephen Morgan MP opened the space by planting a special commemorative tree.
On Facebook, Stephen said: "It is so important for children to learn about and in nature for their health, happiness, and success at school. It was a pleasure to join pupils at Meon Infant School today to plant a tree. The children called it Benny the Blossom."
Trees for Cities are the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities.
Sara Paine, Executive Headteacher of Meon Way Federation, said: "Trees for Cities project is all about bringing nature into schools. But as well as that, it's all about the children being able to learn about growing fruits and vegetables, learning about looking after their environment, and bringing wildlife into the school grounds.
"Our children had the opportunity to see the drawn-out plans and what was going to happen, then they got to watch the space actually being built, and from the playground they got to see the digging happen, the development being put in, so they were really excited to get into this space and enjoy it."
Children from the other schools within Meon Way Federation: Meon Junior School and Moorings Way Infant School, which are all members of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, also welcomed Trees for Cities onto their site to transform spaces into vibrant green areas too. Children from across the three schools interact and engage to enjoy the outdoors together.
Mrs Paine continued: "It was lovely to welcome Stephen Morgan MP to Meon Infant School to plant a tree with an enthusiastic cohort of children. It was Stephen's first time at the school, so it was a pleasure to give him a tour of our classrooms to showcase the good work happening across every year group.
“At Meon Way Federation, we have a driven leadership team working across all three sites with an excellent workforce who are passionate about encouraging our children to be their best selves, and these green spaces will play an important part in achieving that.”
