17 Jul Work Experience at Warfield Park – Building Bug Hotels 🐞🐜and Brightening Borders 🪴🌷

Work Experience at Warfield Park – Building Bug Hotels and Brightening Borders

In July, the team at Warfield Park were delighted to host a group of Year 10 students from Kings Academy Easthampstead Park for their work experience placement. Their visit was scheduled for three days, from 9th to 11th July, and we were eager to plan meaningful, hands-on activities to give them a memorable and enriching experience.

During a planning meeting, Ian our Operations team Manager suggested a fantastic idea: the students could redesign and plant flower beds at the front entrance to the park on Harvest Ride. This would allow them to take ownership of a visible part of the park, from plant selection to planting.

At the same time, Jenna, our Park Rules and Site Licence Coordinator, proposed an activity with a strong environmental focus—creating bug hotels to encourage biodiversity and support the park’s pollinators, particularly within the 26-acre SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) area.

In preparation, our team worked with James, Executive Director, designed the bug hotel structures and identified suitable locations for them across the SANG. The frames were built in advance by our brilliant grounds team—Tony, Aron, and Fernando—using reclaimed and repurposed materials found around the park.

Day 1: Getting Stuck in

On 9th July, we were pleased to welcome four enthusiastic students: Daniel, Grace, Azeezat, and Tommy. They started the day with a tour of Warfield Park, learning about its history and notable landmarks, including the beautifully carved Wellingtonia tree and the community centre.

Kitted out with Warfield Park uniforms and gardening gloves, the students rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Their first task was to clear and prepare the entrance flower beds on Harvest Ride. Guided by the grounds team, they tidied and levelled the area, ready for the fun part—plant selection.

Day 2: Plant Power

The second day was all about colour and creativity. Accompanied by the grounds team, the students visited  local garden centres where they handpicked a variety of vibrant plants for the newly prepared beds.

Back at the park, they mapped out the planting designs and set about transforming the space. Their thoughtful layouts and careful planting brought a fresh splash of colour to our entrance, and the results were fantastic.

Day 3: Building for Biodiversity

On the final day, the students split into two groups. The girls, Grace, Azeezat and Lillie C, teamed up with Jenna to build the bug hotels, while Daniel and Tommy returned to complete the flower beds alongside the grounds team.

All the materials used for the bug hotels were sustainably sourced from around the park. Bamboo from the Larches was cut down by the grounds team and trimmed into usable lengths by Jenna. Large branches were drilled to create nesting holes, pinecones were foraged from beneath the Wellingtonia trees (with help from Lillie, the head groundsman’s daughter), and bark was collected from naturally fallen wood. It was a brilliant lesson in upcycling and biodiversity.

In total, six bug hotels were installed across the SANG, each marked with a unique What3Words location:

• Decks.Props.Horses – Made by Lillie C

• Match.Beard.Solo – Made by Grace

• Turkey.Spike.Shadow – Made by Grace

• Tinsel.Summer.Eagles – Made by Jenna

• Rather.Making.Adults – Made by Azeezat

• Invent.Charmingly.Bucks – Made by Azeezat

Tools of the Trade

To wrap up their experience, the students gathered at the Tractor Shed for a demonstration of the power tools used by the grounds team. The highlight? Trying out the leaf blower—much to everyone’s delight!

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Daniel, Grace, Azeezat, Lillie and Tommy for their hard work and enthusiasm. They brought colour to the park, both literally and figuratively, and left behind a wonderful legacy of learning, nature, and community spirit and everyone at Kings Academy Easthampstead Park for making this memorable work experience happen at Warfield Park. #WarfieldPark #WorkExperience #KingsAcademy #YouthInNature #GardeningProjects #BugHotels #BiodiversityMatters #SustainableLiving #HandsOnLearning #CommunityInvolvement #PollinatorFriendly #EnvironmentalEducation #NatureInspires #GardenDesign #TeamWork #GreenSpaces #What3Words #WildlifeSupport #OutdoorLearning #EcoFriendlyProjects #ThePaddocks