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Queensmead Primary Academy

Buzzing Roots

Buzzing Roots, Queensmead Primary Academy and Eco-Schools Leicester partnership.

Together for our Planet: Food for Future, Food for Thoughts is a new National Lottery Community funded project offering free workshops for Leicester locals on growing your own food, protecting wildlife, repairing clothes and waste, fighting climate change and saving energy. Different field professionals will be offering tips, information and busting sustainability myths. 

Participants of the workshops will contribute to a piece of public art, a boat filled with growing vegetables and plants that will be displayed at Braunstone Park’s Walled Garden, where the series of workshops will be taking place. The area is usually closed off to locals, offering workshop participants exclusive access to this beautiful area of the park.

Together for Our Planet: Food for Future, Food for Thoughts is a collaboration between Buzzing Roots, Eco Schools Leicester and Queensmead Primary Academy aimed at spreading awareness of the climate emergency and helping communities develop practical ways to tackle climate change. 

In planning the project, Queensmead Primary Academy conducted a survey with families about their concerns for the future. Top of this list was food shortages, the impact of the climate crisis on wildlife and the natural environment, rising energy costs and severe weather. When asked if they thought climate change would affect them, 38 out of 57 respondents said ‘Yes’.

In response to the survey, Buzzing Roots, Eco Schools Leicester and Queensmead Primary Academy came together to offer free workshops that address these concerns for the community, helping participants develop ways to be self-sufficient, eat healthily and help the planet.

Buzzing Roots Project Manager Liga Orlovska said: “With this project we are keen to create a space for the community to get together, exchange their knowledge, learn in workshops, talk with guest speakers, make new friends and create their own network. You can do many things on your own, but you can achieve more together. Crisis brings people together and together we will tackle the climate crisis whilst supporting each other.”

Liz Latham, Principal at Queensmead Primary Academy, said: “At Queensmead, pupils have a real desire to be involved in learning about the environment, biodiversity and the impact we have on our world. This project is a great chance for our pupils to share their ‘eco’ understanding and have opportunities to support their own families and the wider community, whilst learning more from experts. It’s so important to recognise that individually we can all be proactive in taking small steps to address the current climate and economic crises but by involving the wider community we can stride forward together.”

Entomologist Graham Smith said: “Participants will be able to discover the joy of creating their own bee bundle to recruit solitary mason bees to their garden or window box. They’ll also learn about the interesting insects you can see at home and begin to understand what life is like from a bees-eye view. We will also be thinking about colour, as we utilise modelling clay and food colouring to secure your bee bundles in place before you take them home!’”

As part of the project, 15 children from Queensmead Primary School are also being funded by East Midlands Trains to travel down to the Our Future Planet exhibition in London as eco-ambassadors for the school. To watch a small glimpse of the day, please click the link below.