New Ross School Wins National Pollinator Award For Community Wildflower Initiative

St. Mary’s Secondary School in New Ross, Co. Wexford has been named the 2026 Golden Bee Champion as part of the Pollinator Project, supported by fibre broadband operator, SIRO, and delivered by Biodiversity in Schools. The award recognises schools that have shown exceptional creativity, collaboration and long-term commitment to supporting biodiversity and protecting Ireland’s pollinators.

The school was recognised for its “New Ross Wildflower Project”, a community-led initiative that expanded beyond the school grounds to create pollinator corridors throughout the town and surrounding area. Faced with limited on-campus space for biodiversity projects, students at St. Mary’s Secondary School partnered with more than 40 town businesses such as McDonalds and fishing shop Oaklands Lake, the New Ross District Council, Tidy Towns and other local community groups, GAA clubs and primary schools to deliver the project. Each organisation committed to providing dedicated areas on their grounds to growing native Irish wildflowers.

Students partnered with ‘Connecting to Nature’, a South-East based family-run business dedicated to restoring local biodiversity by producing and supplying high-quality, native wildflower seeds. To support the project, the company provided participants with discounts on the purchase of native wildflower seeds.

To create greater local awareness of the project and its importance to biodiversity, students designed and distributed project signs for each site, building visibility and local pride. In addition, students produced seasonal planting and maintenance guides for the groups involved in wildflower planting across the town. This guidance was supported by John F. Kennedy Arboretum, with its Head Gardener Kevin Naughton providing valuable advice to students. The announcement of the winner of the Golden Bee Award marks the official end of The Pollinator Project 2026.  However, while the official activities for this year are winding down, the pollinator-friendly spaces, pesticide-free pledges, and biodiversity awareness planted in schools and communities across Ireland will continue to grow.

2026 marked another very successful year for the Pollinator Project overall.  Almost 300 schools took the Pollinator Pledge committing to stop spraying pesticides and create no-mow areas for biodiversity, creating 50 acres of pledged wildflower meadow space nationwide. Through workshops, school activities and biodiversity initiatives, the programme directly trained 8,960 Pollinator Ambassadors and reached a total of 83,019 students across the country. The Pollinator Project forms part of ongoing efforts to support the objectives of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan by helping schools and communities create practical, lasting habitats for Ireland’s pollinating insects.

Announcing the winner, SIRO’s Director of People and Culture, Blanaid O’Regan, said:

“As Ireland’s leading 100% fibre broadband network operator, SIRO is committed to connecting communities not only through digital infrastructure, but also by supporting initiatives that create lasting positive impacts where people live, learn and work. The Pollinator Project is a great example of how local action can deliver meaningful environmental benefits while empowering the next generation to become champions for biodiversity. We are proud to support a programme that has now engaged more than 83,000 students nationwide and to see schools such as St. Mary’s Secondary School demonstrate how creativity, collaboration and community leadership can help create a more sustainable future for everyone.”

 Director of Biodiversity in Schools, Mark Nolan, added:

“St. Mary’s Secondary School took a challenge and turned it into a community-wide movement for biodiversity. By creating pollinator corridors across New Ross and involving businesses, clubs, schools and community groups, the students demonstrated the real impact young people can have when they work together with their local community. Their project is a fantastic example of how schools can drive meaningful environmental change, even when starting with limited space.”

Speaking about the project, Mr Fitzharris, Biology teacher from St. Mary’s Secondary School said:

“A couple of years ago we turned and unused area into a wildflower garden. Because we are limited with areas on the school grounds that we can use to expand the wildflower garden we came up with the idea of the New Ross Wildflower Project. Each student on the committee last year approached 2 companies/groups and convinced them to dedicate a small patch of their land to biodiversity. This year’s committee continued to expand the project and as a result we have grown the biodiversity in the town and surrounding areas far more than we ever could do on the school grounds alone. To win such a prestigious award is something the students and school are very proud of.”

 

About SIRO:

SIRO was founded in 2015, as a joint venture between ESB Group and Vodafone. SIRO provides a 100% full fibre network, the most advanced broadband network in Ireland, which uses the ESB’s existing electricity network to bring connectivity to each premise – homes and businesses.

To date, SIRO has brought its’ network to over 700,000 homes and businesses across Ireland, in over 143 cities and towns, with presence in every county in Ireland.

SIRO is a wholesale operator; it partners with over 20 retailers (Sky, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Digiweb, Pure Telecom etc.), who resell its service to end users.

Sustainability is a key strategic pillar for SIRO, and the company is committed to using its business as a platform for positive environmental and social impact. As part of this commitment, SIRO has partnered with Biodiversity in Schools to support the Pollinator Project, helping schools across Ireland create pollinator-friendly spaces, promote biodiversity awareness and empower students to take practical environmental action within their local communities.