The Willows School pupils give wildlife a helping hand, creating bird and bee boxes for new Greenham housing development

Wildlife is getting a helping hand from some Newbury children.

Pupils from The Willows Primary School in Greenham have been busy painting bird boxes and bee houses to encourage wildlife at a new development.

Charles Church is building 87 new homes at Woodlark Place and as part of its commitment to supporting biodiversity in the area they asked the pupils to get involved.

And members of the eco school council rose the challenge. They worked together on a series of designs that will attract creatures to the development, particularly pollinators.

The children were then invited to the show home where the top designs will be placed in the garden, with others dotted around the development.

Headteacher of The Willows, Jo MacArthur, said: “Our eco school council take their role very seriously and are passionate about protecting our environment for future generations.

“They have enjoyed this project and I am sure they will take the opportunity to walk around the development trying to spot their work.”

Rachel Faulkner, sales director for Charles Church Thames Valley, said: “We were delighted that the children were able to take part in this project and help us to support wildlife here in Greenham.

“We are proud of our record of offering a biodiversity net gain in the communities in which we are building and strive to offer additional habitats wherever we can.

“Thank you to the children for supporting us and designing such colourful bird boxes for our development.”

Councillors Billy Drummond and Phil Barnett, who represent Newbury Greenham ward on West Berkshire Council, also joined the children at the show home.

They added: “It is wonderful to see the children learning more about the wildlife around them through this project and working with Charles Church to increase the number of birds within the development.”