Hundreds of Children to Help with 'Festive Pulling'

On the 15 and 16 December, more than 300 youngsters from Minehead Middle School years 7 and 8 are to join forces with staff from Exmoor National Park Authority’s education and ranger teams to remove small, invasive conifer trees from Owey Cross, Grabbist Ridge above Minehead in Somerset.  As part of the project the youngsters will be able to take away their own little Christmas tree to plant or decorate.

This activity forms part of a heathland restoration project that started with the removal of the mature conifer trees and now needs following up with the removal of their seedlings. The heathland habitat is becoming rare, and on Grabbist it hosts the fragile environment necessary for the endangered heath fritillary  butterfly.

Dave Gurnett, Exmoor National Park Authority’s education manager said: Changing habitats are a reality that we are constantly facing in the National Park, but it is seldom that we have such an opportunity to engage with so many local children in actually tackling this issue. I hope they will have fun and also realise the contribution that they will be making to ensure that the heather has a chance to grow without being crowded out by trees.

Our plan is also to get the children to each take a small (40cm) seedling away with them to decorate or actually plant for themselves.”