On the 19th April, the GIFT team and STEM club went to Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston to start a Stewardship project. The reserve is part of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and it is set in 250 acres of beautiful scenic countryside that is home to a multitude of wildlife. The students at STM were keen and enthusiastic to get their project up and running and they were looking forward to working with a range of experts from the reserve.
Furthermore, the focus for the stewardship project this half term is the importance of the earth, which Pope Francis states is our ‘common home’ and should be looked after by everyone. The GIFT and STEM students at STM were inspired by these words to highlight the importance of caring for the planet and to explore the ways that we can play an active role in looking after our home.
During the course of the day, students worked with a range of conservation experts and they attended a workshop about the development of new initiatives to support wildlife habitats. The trip was an enlightening experience for the students at STM and it helped them to think about conservation ideas that they could implement at our school.
The students returned to college feeling inspired and full of knowledge about our environment. Our aim is to develop the prayer garden and to create a wildlife garden next to it to support local wildlife. As part of the Stewardship event, we will be exploring how our college community can become more sustainable and environmentally aware about the world we inhabit. The College Council and the GIFT Chaplains are creating an action plan to encourage the use of recycling in our community and to prevent littering.