Applications open for Limerick schools to enter project to raise awareness of pollinators

APPLICATIONS are now open for Limerick schools to enter The Pollinator Project, a schools-based initiative raising awareness of the importance of pollinators like insects, birds and mammals.

The project, delivered by Biodiversity in Schools, Ireland’s biodiversity education organisation for young people, in partnership with fibre broadband operator SIRO, works with schools across Ireland to train students as pollinator ambassadors and support them in delivering bee-positive actions such as creating ‘no-mow’ meadows and reducing the use of sprays on school grounds.

Participating schools and students receive practical supports including educational resources, such as biodiversity kits and training from biodiversity experts over the course of the programme, which runs across several months during the school year.

Since 2023, the project has engaged more than 144,000 students from early years education through to primary and post-primary schools nationwide. During this time, over 16,000 students have also received specialised training to become pollinator ambassadors within their school communities, helping to lead biodiversity actions among their peers.

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The initiative is also leaving a visible and lasting impact on school environments across the country. Over 600 no-mow meadows have been created during the critical spring-to-early summer period for pollinators, replacing traditional short-cut lawns with thriving habitats that continue to support biodiversity long after the programme ends.

Students have also planted more than 32,000 pollinator-friendly sunflowers, transforming school gardens, courtyards and outdoor learning spaces into vibrant sources of food for bees and other pollinators.

Building on three years of increasing impact, the Pollinator Project in 2026 will expand its reach once again, offering free pollinator toolkits, classroom resources and educational workshops again to pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, and now also to homeschooling groups nationwide.