Pupils in Years 8 and 9 and members of the Sixth form at Rydal Penrhos School volunteered to help save Orchids as Pensychnant recently.
Donning protective gloves and shears in hand pupils got stuck in clearing dense brambles and small trees from a field at Pensychnant Conservation Centre and Nature Reserve which has been home to two species of orchid.
Both the Heath Spotted and Marsh Orchid have grown on the field in the past however the thick brambles and grasses have seen a decline in their growth.
Pupils spent the afternoon clearing away brambles from a section of the field, with the hope being to eventually clear enough brambles from the field so it can be grazed again. Grazing on the field will help to keep down the brambles and more vigorous grass species, with the hope that the orchids will be able to thrive once again.
All pupils undertake volunteer in the local community during their time at the school, this can include cleaning gravestones and local rivers to tidying parks and woodland.