The Knights Unite

There are fantastic plans to rewild large areas of Knights Templar School, R Wilmore reports

The sun shines over the hill, which is often used as a bike track

The two Knights Clubs - the Green Knights and NewsKnight - are teaming up to turn the nettled slopes of the hill over on the Sports grounds and the turning circle into havens for our native plant species and wildlife. The leader of Green Knights, Mrs Unite, has 450 saplings from the Royal Horticultural Society on the way, which should arrive in February, along with a multitude of bulbs that should have arrived by the time you are reading this article. Autumn is edging closer to the colder, darker months of winter, which are perfect conditions for bulbs to ‘overwinter’ and spring back up by the Spring term.

"We are really excited about this environmental project"Mr McDermott

The plan is a series of fundraising events for the project, as well as a day where students can help plant all the saplings around the school grounds and on the field. Both teachers and students are excited to work together for this project, which should start gaining some headway over the next few months. “This is something we are actively trying to get this off the ground. It is a great opportunity to make the school more biodiverse.” said Mrs Unite, leader of the Green Knights.

“All the NewsKnights are really excited about this environmental project,” said Mr McDermott. “We’re also chuffed to bits to be able to work with Green Knights - we’ve admired their work for years.” 

The existing trees on the hill are either wild cherry or beech - of which the latter is beneficial to squirrels, as beech nuts, sometimes referred to as ‘mast’, are produced in autumn and can attract the little critters. Beech will grow in most soils that drain easily, in sun or light shade, and so are perfect for growing on the hill. Working with nature rather than against it is the aim of rewilding, as it is best to plant local species rather than invasive ones. 

One of the few trees that stand at the crest of the hill

As well as reducing carbon emissions, plants also help to work as water regulators. This could help prevent flooding on the school grounds for the next time we have major rainfall just like earlier this term, which will help counter the disruption to paths and walkways that causes students and staff a hassle to navigate around. They are also massively beneficial to encourage biodiversity, as few animals in the UK can thrive on barren land. It’s not just our favourite neighbourhood mammals and birds that benefit from this, but also the fungi and creepy crawlies that root around in the dirt and leaf flitter at this time of year. Decomposition would be impossible without them, and keeping our soil healthy is of utmost importance if we want to have wildflowers sprout in the spring for bees and butterflies to flourish. When plants decompose in the same soil where they grew, humus, the organic matter in soil, is produced, and so the nutrients and minerals previously stored up in the plants return to the soil, preparing it for new life. This process is called mineralisation. 

Earthworms and other organisms also help in the decomposition process despite the fact that they don't decompose the material, as they mix and aerate the soil, resulting in topsoil being formed and pushed up to the surface. The cultivation of earthworms and other bugs also helps give our favourite friends such as hedgehogs and songbirds a tasty snack during the colder months when berries are no longer available.

Currently most of the plants that reside on the hill are nettles

In order to diversify the hill, we are currently waiting for the nettles to die back before we can start clearing some of them to make way for a better variety of plants. In the meantime, the Green Knights are researching some craft projects such as bird boxes to attach to the trees that are already grown, as well as planning to build some benches and tree guards out of pallets so students can enjoy being alongside nature.