Children at a school just outside of Carlisle are on a mission to attract insects back to their community.

As part of the Bright Stars Primary Programme 2021, pupils of Raughton Head Church of England Primary School, near Dalston, have decided to boost nature in their community by litter picking and creating bee bombs.

The initiative programme, which involves schools across Cumbria, is project-managed by the Centre for Leadership Performance.

Year four, five and six Teacher, Victoria Baker, said: “It’s nice to see them taking charge of the campaign.

“They could have chosen a national issue, but it’s nice that they have chosen something that we will hopefully see develop because it’s so local, and it’s nice for them to be involved in the community after having been away for so long.”

Bright Stars links schools with local businesses in order to help pupils create their own mini business.

This year, the focus of the Bright Stars programme has shifted from making a profit to making a difference.

Pupils at Raughton Head have been helped by quantity surveyors from consultancy company, Matt McDonald, to discuss their vision and carry their project forward.

Using a start-up budget of £50 as part of the Bright Stars programme, the pupils bought bee bombs - a combination of soil and flower seeds used to encourage bees - and gifted some of the villagers of Raughton Head.

As well as publicising their campaign through a video, the pupils have been litter picking at lunch times this week to boost the appearance of the local environment and reduce the threat of waste to wildlife.

After a long lockdown that saw schools across the country teaching their pupils online, Ms Baker said it has been a relief to see children working face to face as a team in class again.

She added: "It’s lovely [to see the children getting involved]. It’s so nice to have them all back at school.

"It’s nice that they’re all back together, working as a team and getting excited about something.

"They do love coming to school, but it’s nice to have something else to focus on.

"I'm really proud of them. They've done such a good job.

"It has been interesting taking a step back and watching them get on with it all, but they have totally taken the lead and decided on what they want to do.

"They've all got their own roles and there isn't anyone who's not involved. When we do have our Bright Stars lessons everyone is really busy and it's really nice to see.