BFER awards a new project grant to Drake’s Primary School

The BFER team were delighted to award one of it’s 3rd Party grants to Drake’s Primary School this week. A cheque for £2,500 was presented by the Scheme manager to staff and pupils in support of their exciting pond and habitat creation project.

The Princess Catherine Pond Project seeks to create a new pond and bog area on the Drake Primary School field in Thetford, Norfolk. The school, helped by local companies, including Thetford Garden Centre, Salix, Pondkeeper, and Bradshaws, aims to create a biodiverse habitat that will attract new wildlife, and provide visual tranquillity for all that visit.

Drake Primary students celebrate

The proposed site on the school field is currently only used for four months of the year due to waterlogging, and this project will support biodiversity by mimicking the natural profile of existing water bodies around Thetford, such as Pingo Ponds – providing opportunities for teaching students about these unique local habitats. Alongside the development of this pond and bog gardens, the school will create a planting area, including an orchard. By planting a new hedgerow with stock supplies by the Woodland Trust, a wildlife corridor will be established to join this new wetland area with nearby Fredericks Wood.

As well as providing an opportunity to create new habitats in the school grounds, along with the varied opportunities to engage and educate students about local biodiversity, this wetlands project will educate people on Princess Catherine Duleep Singh’s incredible story. She was a great historical figure of Thetford who bravely saved many Jews during WW2. By incorporating maps of local areas such as the Elveden estate, where Catherine grew up, into the project’s design, children will learn more about their local cultural heritage.

We look forward to watching the project develop, and hope that it will provide a long-lasting legacy for biodiversity, education, and community engagement.