Damers First School pupils raise funds for meadow board

Year 1 pupils from Damer’s First School on Liscombe Street in Poundbury took part in a nature project which culminated in a Nature Information Board being unveiled at Damers’ Meadow to help inform and educate the community.

The project was organised by the Harmony Project, funded by the Aurora Trust, which asked schools to choose an activity that would encourage children outside to learn from nature.

For the summer term of 2023, pupils took part in a wildflower project, taking inspiration from the Secret Sky Garden by Linda Sarah, which gave them the idea of rewilding part of the Great Field in Poundbury.

The Duchy of Cornwall had given permission for the children to rewild the area, turning it into Damer’s Meadow.

Children started the project by being led on a nature walk of Poundbury Hillfort with Dr Miles King from People Need Nature, before putting together their own nature journals to document wildflowers, trees, insects, birds, vegetables and fruits in the school grounds.

They also collected more wildflower seeds sowing these on Damer’s Meadow, before giving tours of the school grounds to their families, other classes in the school, Miles King, Dorset CPRE Trustees and Dorset Gardens Trust Trustees, naming the wildflowers and giving facts.

After the summer holiday last year, the pupils wanted a Nature Information Board for the Damers’ Meadow to help inform and educate the community and visitors about the wildflowers, insects and birds they might see around them.

With the help of their Year 1 teacher and eco-coordinator, Edd Moore, the pupils raised money for the sign with donations from organisations and businesses, including the Dorset CPRE, Mansel Pleydell Trust, Poundbury Community Trust, Dorchester Town Council and Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots Programme.

The information board on the Great Field (Image: Damer's First School) Nick Morris from Wallis Agency on Poundbury worked with the children to put the nature board together. They included their artwork of wildflowers that people might find in the meadow. A QR code on the board will take people to identification sheets and apps to help them learn more about what they could discover around them. 

The Nature Information Board was unveiled by Dorchester Mayor, Robin Potter, on Friday 28th June. Present were representatives of the organisations who had sponsored the board and Dorset Councillors, Dorchester Town Councillors, the Poundbury Estate Manager and Damer’s staff, parents and children.

Miles King from People Need Nature said: “The Damer’s Wildflower Meadow board is a fitting tribute to the work of Edd Moore who has promoted tirelessly the importance of nature in education. I look forward to helping future generations of Damers’ students to look after their meadow and continue to collect wildflower seeds from the surrounding countryside and add even more flowers to the meadow. 

“As well as being there for Poundbury residents and visitors to enjoy, the meadow is also a vital resource for the school to use when teaching a range of different topics. It is an outdoor classroom vibrant with flowers, birds, bees and butterflies.”

Mayor of Dorchester Cllr Robin Potter, unveiling the board (Image: Damer's First School)

Edd Moore said: “It is fantastic to see so many children as young as five and six years old getting out into nature, discovering what is around them, remembering the names of wildflowers, trees, insects and birds. They have used this knowledge to teach their families, friends and the community, inspiring them to see what else they can find in meadows and Nature Reserves across Dorset.”

Dorchester Town Mayor Robin Potter said: “Damers’ Meadow is a wonderful part of the Great Field, created by the children to make an important statement about the need for biodiversity and wildlife habitats. The information board is a fantastic addition, brilliantly designed with beautiful drawings by the children. It is educational and truly inspiring.”