Two of these lovely creatures, Nora and Dora, enrolled at Parliament Hill School for a week — thrilling the pupils.
Nora and Dora are rescue animals who live at Kentish Town City Farm nearby, but spent time at the school doing the donkey work of raising awareness about animal welfare and sustainable land management.
The school works with the Growing Green environment charity to improve its open spaces and to create habitats for wildlife.
“The donkeys inspired curiosity and spirit of compassion with our pupils,” headteacher Sarah Creasey said. “We value unique learning experiences like this.”
It was the perfect time with spring’s arrival to introduce pupils to these gentle animals and show the benefits of natural grazing.
Animals can help maintain landscapes in a sustainable way, rather than using lawnmowers, the school has found.
Donkeys are intelligent, social and observant, which lets children appreciate their inquisitive nature.
Claudia Kretzschmar, Growing Green’s co-founder, said: “We’re hoping Nora and Dora will raise the children’s interest in nature. Donkeys help biodiversity in the school grounds.”
Nora and Dora got busy grazing and trampling the soil — the usual things donkeys do to help the planet. They suppressed monoculture grass and kickstarted growth of the school’s new biodiverse flowering lawn.
The project is part of a programme for children in London to see firsthand the recovery of nature in their school playgrounds. Too many urban spaces are covered in concrete, Growing Green points out. This leads to poor air quality, loss of biodiversity and climate challenges. The charity turns these overlooked spaces into biodiverse habitats.
Nora and Dora were all too willing to put their best hoofs forward to help a good cause.
They are favourites among visitors to the city farm in Cressfield Close, off Grafton Road.
The farm is running a workshop on April 27, from 2 to 4.30pm, teaching youngsters about wildlife and the role it plays in the ecosystem. It also has a wildlife adventure trail and makes insect homes for hoverfly lagoons, earwig houses and bee hotels which are monitored to see which creatures use them.
