Clever students at a Battersea school are celebrating after their school was announced winner of The Royal Parks’ Grand Bug Designs competition.

The judges were impressed with the research that pupils from Christ Church CE Primary Battersea, Batten Street, Battersea, put into their design, which they say showed understanding of invertebrates and the increasing pressure on urban green spaces.

The primary school will now see aspects of their design brought to life in their school grounds, and experience the world of invertebrates through practical workshops in their school.

The competition was launched by the charity as part of its Mission: Invertebrate project, Grand Bug Designs invited schools in Greater London to reimagine their playground space as an invertebrate-happy habitat, coming up with creative ways to provide food and shelter to attract invertebrates such as snails, beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers and millipedes.

The Royal Parks Head of Ecology, Julia Balfour, said: “This competition has given schools a wonderful opportunity to consider the importance of incorporating habitats into their grounds that enable our precious invertebrates to thrive. We’ve seen some brilliant designs for all manner of minibeast homes, from bug hotels to pollinator-friendly wildflower areas”.

Andrew Scattergood, The Royal Parks CEO and Grand Bug Designs Head Judge, commented: “The calibre of entries received for Grand Bug Designs shows that London’s young people are keen to engage with the natural environment, providing hope for the protection of our urban parks in the future.”