School plants 100 trees to celebrate 100th birthday

Students have planted 100 trees at a school to mark a century since it first opened.

The Centenary Woodland in the playing field at The Commonweal School in Swindon, Wiltshire, has been made up of a variety of trees to show how the school has evolved over time, with some potentially resistant to climate change.

Year 10 pupil Mason said it was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to be part of the centenary event while Nysa, also in Year 10, said: "The more trees we can get, the more we can save our earth".

Head teacher Charles Drew said the school wanted to "leave a lasting legacy" as well as give children the "opportunity to learn about conservation" outside of the classroom.

Each tree will be numbered and have the name of the student who planted it recorded on a plaque.

Mason said it was "cool" that future students would be able to "look back and know [we] were a part of it".

Nysa said: "I've made memories here with my friends so I'll be looking back on it with lots of nostalgia."

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust provided the trees, their expertise and equipment to help enable the rewilding at the back of the school field.

Drew said the project was about "teamwork, communication and resilience" and that "digging a big hole" was "quite challenging".

Mason said he enjoyed practical tasks more than learning theory in a classroom.

"It helps build character as we don't get this opportunity much," he said.

The school woodland forms part of the Great Western Community Forest which covers almost 170 square miles.

Swindon Borough Council also supported the project through its "Trees for Climate" government grant.

Deputy council leader Jake Chandler said: "We will only get investment in trees 30 years, 50 years down the line if we're breeding that next generation of people who care now."

Swindon mayor Neil Hopkins said: "It's really great to see young people actually participating in something that's so important.

"Planting trees, some of which will hopefully still be going in 100 years' time, is a real win for everybody."

The school was officially opened to students in 1927 by the then vice chancellor of Bristol University Thomas Loveday.

Vice chancellor Professor Evelyn Welch MBE, who planted her own tree as part of the celebration, said there was "something really special" about being part of the event.

"The Commonweal School was founded on the principle that being close to nature was absolutely fundamental to young people's learning so it's fantastic to see this still in practice today," she said.

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