Nature Park school creates ‘The Attenborough Garden’ named after Sir David Attenborough to celebrate his 100th birthday
Pupils at Bentley CE Primary School in Hampshire have named a pollinator garden they’ve created as part of the National Education Nature Park after Sir David Attenborough to celebrate his 100th birthday.
Pupils have been wilding their site with teacher and sustainability lead Emma Jones for several years. Joining the National Education Nature Park and hearing about the declaration of a butterfly emergency by Butterfly Conservation in 2024 accelerated their plans and spurred the pupils into action. “I’m passionate about empowering children to take action for the planet," says Emma Jones, teacher and sustainability lead. "Creating the garden gave me the chance to show the children how they could turn something negative like the decline in butterflies into positive action."
Together with the school’s Eco Council, a competition was launched for the children to design a garden to encourage wildlife, especially pollinators. Thirteen designs were chosen, and in spring 2025, the young garden designers assembled in the garden ready to start planning the final design. No idea was deemed too challenging including a butterfly-shaped raised bed and a model village of Bentley for bugs!
Nearly 40 children have participated in the garden’s creation over the last year, and it has grown into a community project with local residents and businesses sharing their skills, time and resources. The school received grants from the South Downs National Park Renature Fund, The Pilanesburg Foundation and Groundwork UK to bring their ideas to life.
“I especially liked planting the wildflowers because it was peaceful and calming.”
Year 4 pupil Eleanor, one of the school’s Nature Guardians and garden designers
What started out as a response to the butterfly emergency has blossomed into a space not just for butterflies but also a space where members of the school community can come to connect with nature, learn and experience the awe and wonder of the natural world.
"This is exactly the kind of project the National Education Nature Park was created to inspire. These pupils haven't just created a garden — they've created a living space that will both support local wildlife and their own learning and wellbeing for years to come. Dedicating it to Sir David Attenborough, who has spent a lifetime connecting people with the natural world, feels entirely fitting!”
Dr Jess Tipton, Head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum
The school opened The Attenborough Garden on 8 May 2026, David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, as part of the school’s Attenborough Day. An opening ceremony was held and attended by a range of special guests including the children and volunteers who have made the garden possible.
“Over the years, the garden will undoubtedly have a positive impact on every visitor, from butterflies to children. Naming the garden after Sir David Attenborough was a unanimous decision across the school community and a wonderful way to celebrate his 100th birthday, and we hope its lasting legacy will be that it will inspire future scientists, naturalists and conservationists; just as Sir David Attenborough has done for decades.”
Emma Jones, teacher and sustainability lead
