Students from Kewaigue School have teamed up with the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort to create an environmentally-friendly ‘bug hotel’.

The bug hotel is one of the initiatives of the Comis’ sustainability committee, built as part of the business’ commitment to sustainability and increasing biodiversity.

With help from the Kewaigue pupils, the bug hotel was built by reusing mainly natural materials such as pallets, branches off trees, pinecones from the golf course, bamboo and bricks leftover from the Comis’ first hotel refurbishment.

The various holes and crevices in the hotel look to provide a welcoming habitat for insects such as beetles and solitary bees, while creating the hotel was also used as a teaching tool for the kids to explore biodiversity, invertebrates and our ecosystem.

As well as the hotel, students have also planted wildflowers in the surrounding area.

Half an acre of lightly used golf course was allocated to Kewaigue School, with a rectangular patch of land being split into six sections.

Six different classes from Kewaigue were then allocated a section each, with the classes arriving at the Comis on different days to plant flowers such as poppies and other native blooms that will ‘provide habitat for important pollinators’.

The head of school at Kewaigue, Michelle Mylchreest, commented: ‘This hands-on project has been a wonderful way for students to learn about nature while beautifying our local landscape.

‘The project connected classroom learning with real-world action as students discovered the importance of native plants and pollinators.

‘They then put this knowledge to work by carefully selecting planting spots and preparing the soil for their wildflower gardens.

‘Teachers have noticed that many students - even those who don't always engage in regular classwork - have shown genuine enthusiasm for the planting project. There's something special about creating something beautiful that will grow and thrive.’

The Comis Hotel and Golf Resort was the winner of the ‘Sustainable Business of the Year’ award at Media Isle of Man’s Awards For Excellence last year.

Mark Emmington, facilities director at the Comis, states that activities such as the creation of the bug hotel and wildflower planting is part of a strategy to collaborate with the local community.

He said: ‘It's part of our responsibility as a big landowner to make best use of it. We’re very serious about sustainability and our commitment to the local community.

‘Nearly all of the children from Kewaigue live on the local estate, so it's a way to sort of bring the community to the hotel and give them some sort of appreciation for what we do.’

This isn’t the only collaboration planned between the school and the hotel, with further activities already lined up such as a ‘design a sustainable hotel’ competition and a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the hotel.

School head Mrs Mylchreest added: ‘Beyond just making the area look nicer, this project has built bridges between our schools and local businesses.

‘The students feel proud seeing their work flourish, and they've learned that they can make a positive environmental impact in their own community.’