Arundel Wildflower Project 2021 asks children to sow the seeds of a bee-friendly town

The Arundel Wildflower Project 2021 has been launched by Arundel Historic Tours, with help from Arundel Bee Project and staff at Arundel Church of England School and St Philip’s Catholic Primary School.

Martin Alderton, who runs the tours with his partner Karen Tunnicliffe, said each of the 410 pupils at the two schools will receive a 5g packet of seeds and be asked to sow them at a site of their choosing within Arundel.

He said: “We would like every child to help with the project to create a bee-friendly town. Each student will choose where they sow – the back garden, the riverside, at the nan’s, their mum’s allotment, anywhere within the borough of Arundel.

“Various projects across the town will create stunning displays while creating habitats and food for a wide range of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.”

The seed packs contain 28 UK native wildflower species, flowering from May to October, and 81 per cent of wildflowers included in the mixture are recommended by the Royal Horticultural Society as ‘perfect for pollinators’.

Martin said: “Some will flower the first year and some the second, and onwards. Approximately 5g of seeds, enough for one square metre, will be distributed to all students on or before the last Friday of March.

“Sowing will take place the following Saturday or Sunday. A photo of the chosen area at the time of sowing, on the last weekend in July and one taken the same weekend the following year, along with the area the sowing took place, will be kept as a record.

“We will look towards giving prizes for various categories. If everyone gets involved and sows, that will be 410 square metres, the equivalent of 30 car parking spaces, across Arundel.”

Martin and Karen have funded the project through book sales.