YOUNGSTERS at an Otley school have done their bit to protect wildlife by raising funds for a local group.

Pupils at St Joseph's Primary created landscape and meadow art as well as sculptures to represent the town. They then created a gallery and sold their artwork to their families - raising a total of £145 for Wildlife Friendly Otley.

The idea for the fundraising came about after a visit to the school by Neil Griffin from Wildlife Friendly Otley.

Year 1 teacher Karen Hulbert said: "The children in Year 1 had such a wonderful wildlife day with Neil that when it was time to decide on our class charity, Wildlife Friendly Otley was voted number one.

"The children then decided that they would like to make art work to sell to their families. They created two pieces of art, a landscape piece using colouring pens and water colours and a meadow or garden scene using chalk pastels. They also created a sculpture to represent Otley using air dry clay.

"The families generously donated and we are delighted to raise £145 for a local charity. "

Neil Griffin said: "We were bowled over when we heard that Year One had chosen to raise funds for us, and delighted at the huge sum they earned. Their art work was superb. We will spend the money on resources to make schools more wildlife-friendly and on wildflower seeds to plant in Otley's green spaces. "

In June children at St Joseph’s spent an enjoyable day spotting and helping wildlife in their school grounds. Helped by Neil Griffin from Wildlife Friendly Otley, they watched birds, marvelled at plants and carefully held minibeasts.

The event was one of the Wildlife Makeover days for Otley primary schools organised by community group Wildlife Friendly Otley.

Year One had decided that they wanted to create a “nature garden”, and with great enthusiasm they set about making a minibeast hotel - “Bugingham Palace” - out of recycled materials. They also made bug houses out of plant pots and bamboo, and set up homes for frogs and hedgehogs.

One group planted wildflower plugs with PTA member Kate Egan, whilst another made feeders for butterflies and birds. Finally, the children started to create a mini-pond - one of the best ways to attract wildlife. The morning also featured a visit by Maggie Brown of the West Yorkshire Bat Group, who delighted the children by bringing three bats from her hospital.

The day was resourced by the community, with, for example, the fruit for the feeders coming from Simon & Becky’s market stall, the magnifying glasses funded by Wharfedale Naturalists, and the pallets from SAS Autoparts. The afternoon featured educational games about wildlife with the children from Reception, Year One and Year Two.

Neil Griffin said: “I was impressed by both the children’s enthusiasm for the project and their knowledge of the natural world. They also showed great empathy when handling the minibeasts.