STUDENTS from Petty Pool College joined conservation charity, the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, to help bring back lost nature habitats in Delamere Forest.

The youngsters joined the Trust and forest managers The Forestry Commission, to help out on the Delamere’s Lost Mosses scheme, a £250,000 WREN-funded project aiming to rejuvenate and restore internationally-important wetlands in Delamere.

Using traditional hand tools, more than 80 students have been helping out by clearing the young trees and scrub, which are drawing water away from the rare mosslands and causing them to dry out.

Katie Piercy from the Trust said: “Many hands make light work in this type of project, and the Petty Pool teams have played a huge part in enabling us to get as far as we have after just a few months.”

Linda Walker from Petty Pool College said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our students to work on this project.

“They have a great time doing things they wouldn’t normally get the chance to do, like cutting down trees and using traditional tools like bow saws and loppers.

“The work fits in with our conservation group at college, who complete a City and Guilds qualification. To work on such a globally important habitat is amazing.”