On Outdoor Classroom Day, pupils of Beckstone Primary School in Harrington, West Cumbria celebrated pollinators by day and night as part of Get Cumbria Buzzing, our project to boost the declining number of pollinating insects.

By day, Year 2 pupils sowed seed and planted 60 native wildflower plants in the school’s grounds and in the evening, Year 6 pupils carried pollinator lanterns, while Year 5 pupils provided the ambient, atmospheric beat with instruments.

David Warbrick, Headteacher, Beckstone Primary School said: "The Pollinator Lantern parade was an absolute success. It was thoroughly enjoyed by the 41 pupils and 20 adults who carried the lanterns (including our Chair of Governors) and those lining the streets loved it. We have received many messages of appreciation at the spectacular effect the parade had. I would like to say a very big ‘Thank You’ to Workington Nature Partnership, the artists and the volunteers who contributed to this wonderful event. Photos and videos can be seen here." 

The celebratory lantern procession provided a lap of honour around Jubilee Park, part of Harrington Nature Reserve, to acknowledge the Get Cumbria Buzzing project work done by schoolchildren, Lakes College students and Workington Nature Partnership (WPN) volunteers. They’re creating habitat and nectar-rich wildflowers in the upper meadow and surrounding shrub beds, for all pollinating insects, in a bid to create “B-lines” (pollinator habitat pathways) across West Cumbria.

Carolyn Postlethwaite, Project Officer for Get Cumbria Buzzing said: “Wild pollinating insects are in trouble and need our help. More than half of UK bee, butterfly and moth species have declined in the past 50 years, and over the last 75 years we’ve lost 97% of our flower rich meadows. To halt and reverse these alarming declines, we urgently need to restore wild spaces and wildflowers for pollinators.”

“This lantern parade was a beautiful and memorable event to raise awareness of our project which is all about helping bees and other pollinators in North and West Cumbria. Huge thanks to everyone for getting involved, and to all the schools and communities, from Workington and Whitehaven up to Carlisle, taking actions from wildflower planting to recording pollinators!”

Staff from Allerdale Borough Council and volunteers from WNP took on the role of fire marshals and road safety crossing supervisors, to ensure the event was a great success.

Susan Cammish, Nature Ranger, WNP said, “I was overwhelmed at seeing the amazing turn-out of parents, families and friends, at both the school entrance and at the nature reserve, to support the children in the procession. I was proud of their achievements and the joy it brought to the local community who came out of their houses to support us as we passed by”.

“It’s a great way to inspire children to get involved in discovering and discussing the importance of nature and wildlife, and the positive impact we can make in our local environment”.

Di and Naomi from Stomping Ground delivered the lantern-making workshops with children in Year 6, at Beckstone Primary School, supported by Susan Cammish from Workington Nature Partnership.

Children were shown how to create the basic lantern shape, with safety features, using willow, masking tape and secateurs. These were customised by the children, into 3-D designs based on the shapes and patterns of pollinating insects including moths, ladybirds and beetles, bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, and flowers. Others were designed with a stained-glass window effect in mind.

Di Larfynn, Director, Stomping Ground said: “We had 30 children working in pairs with me and Naomi over two days and they made some of the most impressive lanterns I have ever seen by children without a parent or guardian to support as it's quite a technical and fiddly process. I loved how good they were at pair work and how they came up with their ideas and executed them so well.”

Get Cumbria Buzzing is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Highways, and other funders. Partners include: Allerdale Borough Council, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre, Florence Arts Centre, Highways England, National Trust, Solway Coast AONB and Workington Nature Partnership.