A GROUP of students from Windermere St Anne's School has seen the first leg of its nature conservation project through to completion.

The five Year Nine pupils, who are the recipients of a Barclays New Futures award, designed and built a nature study area after consulting with local primary schools who will also make use of the resource.

The project aims to build community links, and staff, governors and pupils have just gathered to observe the group's progress.

Pupils Caron Bell, Eleanor Wilson, Rebecca Jones, Holly Taylor and Olivia Freeman began working on the project in Year Eight.

So far they have created a pond filled with plant life including Japanese bamboo, which will be an educational resource for sciences, geography and art.

Cath Harrison, a science teacher at St Anne's School, said the girls had come a long way as a group over the last year and their efforts had paid off.

Miss Harrison said: "Today was a celebration of what the group has achieved.

It says a lot about them that pupils involved in the New Futures project elsewhere are a lot older."

Following the completion of the pond, the group have further plans and are hoping to develop a herb and sensory garden and possibly even a tree trail through the school.

Eleanor Wilson, 13, said: "We want to make a trail of rare plants and trees, a bit like an orienteering course which lots of people will be able to use."

The most popular part of the project was working outdoors.

Rebecca Jones, 14, said: "The best bit was definitely doing all the digging and planting."