Three Norfolk Primary schools will be able to get hands on with nature thanks to a cash injection from Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Community Fund.
Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT), received £16,685 from the Fund to support the roll-out of its Wilder Schools programme. The initiative will work with three Norfolk primary schools to deliver nature-based, curriculum-linked sessions designed to inspire environmental action, improve wellbeing, and enhance biodiversity within school grounds.
Over two years, the project will deliver classroom sessions for 150 children, teacher training, school assemblies and on-site conservation activities like wildflower planting and installing bat boxes. NWT’s Isabelle Mudge, Wilder Learning Manager, said:
“This generous support from Ørsted will enable Norfolk Wildlife Trust to work with three primary schools in Norfolk to inspire children and their school communities to take action for nature. The project will bring outdoor learning into the classroom, developing pupils’ skills and confidence to help them feel part of a wilder future.”
Imran Nawaz, Senior Advisor and Community Benefit Fund Manager at Ørsted, added:
“It’s great to give young people the chance to get hands on with nature and to help boost the next generation of conservationists. We were so impressed with the range and quality of projects funded – all of which help to create a stronger future for young people.”
A total of 11 education and training projects across communities in Lancashire and Cumbria, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and Norfolk and Suffolk have received a share of this year’s combined £275,000 Ørsted Skills Fund allocation.
The Ørsted Skills Fund is made up of three separate, ring-fenced funds that sit within the company’s UK Community Benefit Funds portfolio:
Each Skills Fund supports projects in its respective region, with the shared goal of improving access to education, training and employment opportunities in areas located near Ørsted’s offshore wind farms.
Managed by independent grant-making charity, GrantScape, the Skills Funds have collectively awarded nearly £1.8 million to 86 projects across the UK since launching, helping thousands of people develop skills, qualifications and hands-on experience that can unlock new career pathways.
