Brampton Primary School's year three pupils have joined an initiative to plant more than 600 wildflowers in a Cumbrian park.

The project is part of a collaboration between Full Fibre broadband provider, Fibrus, and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, with the aim to restore valuable sites for bees and other pollinators.

The children, along with volunteers and teachers, spent the day at Irthing Park learning about and participating in the planting process.

Anna Brooks, a teacher at Brampton Primary School, said: "The children have had a wonderful time planting within the community and it fits in perfectly with our plants topic later on in the year.

"In year two, they learned about seasoned bulbs and what is needed for germination, so it was great to be able to apply that knowledge with a hands-on learning experience.

"At the school we have ‘eco warriors’, in other words, our student councillors, who have weekly meetings to discuss sustainability and the environment.

"They are working with Miss Moss to create wildflower gardens at the school, so it was great for them to be able to learn more about what is involved."

The day was not just about planting, but also a learning opportunity for the pupils, who were educated by Cumbria Wildlife Trust on the positive impact the wildflowers would have on the area.

Pupil Ziza Ridley said: "I enjoyed putting the plug plants into the ground with my friend Julia so that the insects will enjoy the wildflowers."

Brampton Green and Wild, a local wildlife gardening group, also helped with the planting.

Volunteer Lisa Bennington said: "I think we’ve lost the ability to have areas like this for children to come and experience.

"This initiative will allow children to do bug hunts, look at the flowers and learn about the environment, all while encouraging pollinators.

"We’d love for people in Brampton to see the benefits of this project, in helping children learn and for creating habitats for the bugs and insects."

The initiative is part of a three-year project by Fibrus, who have contributed £150,000 to help Cumbria Wildlife Trust create or restore 15 valuable sites for pollinators.

Charlotte Rankin, pollinator conservation officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: "We’ve had over one thousand wildflowers to plant today and we’ve sped through them thanks to so many volunteers joining us today, it’s been brilliant.

"We've lost over 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows, so every patch of habitat that we can bring back into our green space really makes a difference for pollinators.

"Getting the children involved in the actual restoration activities, like the seed sowing and the planting, is a lovely opportunity for them to learn and contribute directly to conserving pollinators."

Neil Northman, a member of the Hyperfast GB Stakeholder team at Fibrus, also attended the event to help plant the flowers.

He said: "It was incredible to see the Brampton community come together in support of this environmental initiative.

"We’re delighted to see the partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Fibrus really come to life through the planting days and is a true reflection of our commitment to environmental sustainability."

The plans to create the wildflower habitat were shaped by Brampton Green and Wild, Cumberland Council, and Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

Cumberland Council’s Open Spaces Team will maintain the areas as part of their Conservation Grasslands initiative to help the wildflower areas flourish.

There will also be an opportunity for the community to get involved with raking off cuttings, and Brampton Green and Wild hope to organise wildflower and pollinator surveys to help monitor the areas.