2019 Golden Acorn awarded to young learners
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has announced the winners of this year’s Golden Acorn Award.
The winners, Albany Primary School in Cardiff, collected over 80kg of the best quality acorns which will now be used to grow more local Welsh oaks across Wales.
44 education groups from all over Wales took part in the Acorn Antics campaign and collected over 3 million acorns that will help NRW plant more trees that have been grown from local seeds.
It also gives young people the opportunity to get outside and learn about the natural environment in Wales.
Aled Hopkin, Education Advisor, Natural Resources Wales said:
“The campaign had a great response again this year with learners of all ages collecting over 1000kg of acorns in six weeks - enough to plant 232 football pitches full of oak trees.
“We came up with the Golden Acorn Award to encourage our acorn collectors to spend time learning about oak trees and choosing the best quality acorns for us to grow.
“Albany Primary School are the worthy winners of the award, having collected 83.5kg of high quality acorns, winning a selection of educational books and raising over £360 for the school.
“We want to thank everyone who took part, they are not only helping us grow more Welsh oak trees, but they have spent valuable time learning about the natural environment.
Education groups such as Cylch Meithrin, Scouts and primary schools took part with acorns collected from school grounds, parks and farms.
NRW pay up to £4.40 per kilogram, depending on the quality of the acorns, before sending them to the Forestry Commission tree nursery in Cheshire where they will be grown into saplings.
Replanting local seeds helps reduce the risk of spreading pests and diseases which can devastate forests.
Oak trees help provide a home for wildlife and help reduce the effects of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
They can also help reduce flood risk and help create great places for people to relax and enjoy the outdoors.