Garstang boy chooses plants over plastic for his birthday this year on a mission to help the environment

Fox Laverty, aged seven, from Garstang made a birthday wish to help the environment instead of receiving ‘plastic presents’ for his special day this year.

The student of St Thomas’ CE School, in Garstang, donated £50 of his own money, along with family contributions and money from his classmates instead of birthday presents to put toward buying and planting 15 fruit trees in the school playground.

The act of kindness was spread across Fox’s school year as he and his classmates got stuck into planting the fruit trees, all in celebration of Fox’s birthday and contributing toward his ‘green mission’.

Barton Grange Garden Centre, on Garstang Road, also helped Fox out, as they doubled the amount raised by the young boy and his friends to help out the children in the pursuit to help the enviroment. The garden centre kindly sent helpers who used their expertise to guide the school children in planting the orchard.

Fox requested that he and his friends could plant fruit trees, it was Fox’s wish as he wanted children who didn’t have anything at snack time to be able to have fruit. The St Thomas’s student also wanted cooking apples so the school kitchen could use them when cooking the pupils lunches.

Dad Brian said: “It all came from him saying one day ‘there is too much plastic dad, we should help the environment by planting trees as the trees help us live.

“We talked a lot about planting trees and watched various nature programmes which talk about the importance of planting trees to help with the effects of climate change.

“The pupils at Fox’s school seemed to be really happy that they were helping to plant the trees in the grounds of the school. The school was very proactive in helping us to facilitate the planting of the trees which was great because even though Fox wanted to do this we needed an area big enough to plant 15 trees! The school also has great classes including Forest school and an after school gardening club so the pupils are already aware of the nature around them and the importance of it.”

Fox has said that he’d like to plant some more trees in the future and now the orchard is set up at the school, the young lad hopes he can add to it as time goes on and that he might encourage others to do the same.

Brian added: “We feel very proud of Fox. Many young people hear about climate change and are passionate about talking about it but it was a wonderful thing when he wanted to actually do something about it. We are so pleased that he wanted to be proactive about the things he believes are important. Fox felt that he was free to make a choice and ask us to help make it happen and could be proud of the choices he makes as he grows up. That’s a lovely thing to experience as a parent.”