BRIDGWATER students have been getting their hands dirty while planting a lasting legacy for the town.

Year 7 and 8 students from Robert Blake Science College were joined by the mayor and mayoress of Bridgwater, along with students on a twinning visit from Priverno in Italy, to plant 400 trees as a way of connecting the community with the common land.

Cllr Graham Granter and wife Kay joined in on a sunny Wednesday morning to plant the trees along The Meads.

Chelsea Chadwick, communications officer for Robert Blake Science College, said: “With support from Sedgemoor District Council and The Woodland Trust, our Year 7 and Year 8 students have planted 400 trees along The Meads, as a way to connect with the community with this local common land. 

“We hope that this will give the students a link to the school and Bridgwater for the rest of their lives – certainly as most trees can live longer than humans.”

Teacher Tim Meehan explained to the students that because much of the local area’s countryside was dedicated to farmland and been subject to ‘overgrazing’ from cows and sheep, new trees and hedgerows like the one they were planting would help support wildlife like insects that can struggle in agricultural land.

“It will improve the bio-diversity, and public land like this is important, especially given how much Bridgwater is set to grow in the next few years,” Mr Meehan said.

He said there were plans to add a number of hedgerows to The Meads in the coming years.

Leader of Bridgwater Town Council, Cllr Brian Smedley, had acted as the Italian students’ guide during the week.

“We ensure the twinning students get to take part a wide variety of activities during their visits,” Cllr Smedley said.

“We have done a guided tour of the town and museum followed by a barbecue and Bridgwater quiz. There will be trips to Bath and Stonehenge, a walk up on the Quantocks and a visit to Dunster before the week is done so it is a packed itinerary.”

Carla Dorr, one of the accompanying teachers from Privorno, said these sorts of trips were vital so that students realise the opportunities that are available to them and feel enriched by experiencing other cultures.

“Our school has many different partner schools, in Russia, the Netherlands, Serbia, the United States and the UK,” she said.

“We want our students to be open-minded and to feel as though they are citizens of the world.”