We would like to say a huge thank you to Eric Avenier, one of our new nursery dads, for the tremendous amount of work he has done in our school orchard. Last weekend, Eric cleared a horrible patch of brambles and weeds beside the nursery and found us two holly trees and a horse chestnut! He also discovered our hedgehog house which was so overgrown that it was uninhabitable.  Eric has now covered it with branches and it is the perfect “des res” for hibernating hedgehogs again. Fingers crossed that we might attract some spikey wee residents soon. Eric also cut ALL the grass- a mammoth task -and sorted out weeds round the football pitch.  Since Eric’s son, Emile, came to nursery, Eric has worked tirelessly to improve the orchard experience for our children.  He has brought us plants, planted carrots and peas in our polytunnel and brought delicious peas, courgettes and pumpkins from his own allotment which we have eaten in nursery.  All this and Eric still finds time to be a world class chef and do his most important job- being Emile’s daddy -too! What a man!