As part of an initiative to boost sustainability through sport, Bristol City Women, in conjunction with biodiversity experts Nature Positive, visited Ashton Vale Primary School to educate pupils about enhancing the natural environment.

Children were given hands on lessons about how to protect local wildlife which included interactive presentations by leading environmental experts and an opportunity to contribute ideas to support a high-level biodiversity review.

Bristol City Women earned the visit from Nature Positive as part of its prize for topping the Pledgeball League – a sustainability competition in sport. The league, run by Bristol charity, Pledgeball, the BBC Grassroots Organisation of the Year, celebrates efforts within sport to tackle climate change.

“We’re delighted that our amazing fans won this fantastic opportunity for children in the BS3 area” said Peter Smith, Head of Change and Sustainability at Bristol Sport.

“This is about inspiring the next generation to care not only about sport in the city but also about preserving the nature and wildlife that make Bristol special. We want fans to celebrate our local heritage on and off the pitch and protecting our green spaces is a big part of this.”

Brad Arthur, Principal at Ashton Vale Primary School comments: “Our children were inspired and fascinated in equal measure to discover the plant and animal species thriving right on their doorsteps and surrounding area. They were treated to stories about Bristol’s rich natural habitats and very importantly learnt about the local impacts of climate change and why looking after Bristol’s ecosystems has never been so critical.”

“Empowering organisations to make sustainability second nature is our mission” said Molly Scott, Senior Environmental Consultant at Nature Positive. “It’s been a pleasure to offer our expertise in biodiversity, and to support Bristol Sport to engage with local communities with this topic.”