Winners announced at the National Conservation Education Awards 2026

Our annual National Conservation Education Awards recognise those who go above and beyond to educate the next generation about conservation, celebrating excellence across the whole education sector.

The Awards ceremony was hosted in The Square, Chester Zoo where we were joined by our shortlisted nominees and a number of invited guests including our Chair of Trustees and representatives from our Curriculum Advisory Panel and our Youth Board.

We’re delighted to share with you the winners of our 2026 awards and their stories.

Outstanding Conservation Educator- Primary
Winner: Mrs Jo Osborn, Witton Church Walk C of E Primary School

Mrs Osborn is working in partnership with the Northwich Education Partnership (NEP), involving 26 primary schools, to develop a bee-friendly garden, coordinating visitors such as a beekeeper and members of the WI to enrich learning about hives, seasonal planting and pollination, and enabling pupils to design and plant their own garden space. Teachers are now leading the process of embedding these initiatives and gathering evidence as the school works towards achieving “Bee Friendly School” status. Witton Church Walk teachers have played a key role in inspiring and leading learning through partnerships and hands-on experiences, initially facilitating workshops with Chester Zoo that sparked pupils’ curiosity and were further developed through a planned visit to deepen understanding of wildlife and habitats. Building on this, teachers have guided a whole-school bee project, linking learning across year groups and into the Northwich community; in Year 6, staff are supporting pupils to research, collaborate and prepare presentations for ‘Take Over Day’ at Chester Zoo, while also empowering the Eco Committee to design and create bee-friendly water stations across the school grounds.

Nominees:
Amy Jones, from Our Lady of Pity RC Primary and Nursery School
Mrs Griffiths, from the Grange School Hartford
Michelle Watson, from Rivacre Valley Primary School

Outstanding Conservation Educator- Secondary
Winner: Mandy Townson and Tracey Thompson, Ysgol Bryn Alyn

Mandy Townsend and Tracey Thompson are being recognised for their outstanding contribution to creating and developing The Big Shed at Ysgol Bryn Alyn — a transformative outdoor learning, wellbeing and conservation space that has positively impacted young people, families and the wider community. Through their dedication, they have created a safe and inclusive environment where pupils can connect with nature, build confidence and develop leadership skills through outdoor and conservation-focused activities. Their youth-led approach has empowered young people to deliver meaningful community projects, while partnerships with local organisations have strengthened wellbeing, conservation and community engagement. Mandy and Tracy’s compassion, leadership and commitment have made The Big Shed a valued space where young people feel supported, inspired and able to thrive.

Nominees:
Mr Hand, The Prescot School
Jake Bettles, Cheshire College South & West

Outstanding Conservation School – Primary School
Winner: Rivacre Valley Primary School

Rivacre Valley Primary School has embedded conservation throughout its curriculum, culture and community, inspiring pupils to become passionate advocates for rainforest protection and sustainable living. Through creative, cross-curricular learning, children explored the impact of unsustainable palm oil, created conservation campaigns, wrote persuasive letters to companies and promoted ethical consumer choices. Working with local artists and Chester Zoo, pupils developed a strong emotional connection to endangered species and habitat conservation. Their whole-school Rainforest Showcase helped spread awareness across the wider community, while empowering children to believe their voices can make a real difference in protecting the planet.

Nominees:
Ysgol Bryn Deva
Tattenhall Park Primary

Outstanding Conservation School – Secondary School
Winner: Cheshire College South & West

Cheshire College – South & West demonstrates an outstanding commitment to conservation education through the development of a year-long, inclusive Wellbeing Garden project in partnership with Chester Zoo. The project transformed an unused campus space into a vibrant outdoor learning environment where Entry Level learners took an active role in designing and creating habitats, sensory gardens and biodiversity features. This hands-on approach has strengthened students’ understanding of sustainability and environmental responsibility while also building confidence, communication skills and a sense of ownership, particularly among learners with additional needs.
The Wellbeing Garden is now a fully embedded part of the college’s curriculum, supporting ongoing conservation learning through practical activities, cross-curricular teaching and wider experiences such as visits to local nature reserves. By combining inclusion, wellbeing and environmental action, the project provides meaningful real-world learning that benefits both students and the wider community, making it a strong example of partnership-driven conservation education with lasting impact.

Nominees:
Ysgol Bryn Alyn
The Kings School Chester

Outstanding Conservation Initiative – Primary School
Winner: St Alban’s Catholic Primary School

St Alban's Changemakers, led by Therasa McCannon, have significantly improved the school’s recycling and sustainability practices through a pupil-led environmental initiative. The group carried out surveys with pupils, staff and parents, researched recycling systems, redesigned bin labels and introduced food waste stations to improve lunchtime recycling. They also deliver whole-school assemblies, monitor bin use through regular collections and feedback, and carry out weekly litter picks to promote responsibility across the school community. The initiative is now expanding into an Eco Brick project, collecting soft plastics to create sustainable furniture, further strengthening the school’s commitment to environmental action and innovation.

Nominees:
St Bernard’s RC Primary and Nursery School
The Grange School

Outstanding Conservation Initiative – Secondary School or College
Winner: Abbey Gate College

Abbey Gate College hosted the Cheshire Schools’ Sustainability Conference, an initiative designed to connect schools across Cheshire and promote collaboration towards a more sustainable future. The event brought together over 140 students aged 8–18 and staff from eight schools, and featured guest speakers from a range of industries who demonstrated how sustainability is applied in real-world settings such as food, fashion and environmental design. Pupils also shared their own eco-projects, including recycling, biodiversity and energy-saving initiatives, helping to inspire cross-school learning and engagement. The conference continues to grow as a platform for empowering young people to understand and act on sustainability beyond the classroom.

Nominees:
Walton High School
Prescot School

Outstanding Conservation Partnership
Winner: Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, for their “Generation Wild” programme

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s Generation Wild programme is a large-scale, free nature connection initiative delivered across wetland centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, co-developed with schools and families in economically disadvantaged communities. Since launching in 2021, it has engaged over 70,000 primary-aged children and enabled more than 277,000 nature-based activities in school grounds, homes and local environments, with schools supported as active partners in shaping and refining the programme through ongoing feedback and collaboration.
The programme uses an innovative, story-led approach centred on Ava the Bird-Girl, combining immersive visits to wetland centres with digital storytelling, audio updates and practical outdoor activities that encourage children to reconnect with nature and take conservation action. It is highly inclusive, offering free access, transport support and SEND-friendly resources, while also reflecting diverse identities through its characters and materials. Research shows strong positive impacts on children’s wellbeing, confidence, nature connection and environmental awareness, as well as increased teacher confidence in outdoor learning. Through its blend of creativity, accessibility and evidence-based practice, Generation Wild demonstrates a powerful model of conservation education that extends from schools into families and wider communities.

Nominees:
Woburn Safari Park
Action for Conservation
Nature Bugs Forest School

Youth Choice Award
Winner: Action for Conservation

Action for Conservation’s WildED programme is a free, experiential environmental education initiative for young people aged 12–24, designed to connect them with nature and inspire long-term conservation action. Delivered across schools and youth groups in cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Brighton, it combines workshops, inspiration days and hands-on projects that help young people understand issues such as climate change, food systems and biodiversity loss, before designing and leading their own local environmental action projects.
Through activities such as creating wildlife ponds, planting orchards and microforests, building bug hotels and restoring school grounds, participants gain practical conservation experience while developing key life skills, confidence and teamwork. The programme prioritises inclusion by working with under-resourced schools and adapting activities for SEND learners, while also strengthening community links through partnerships with local organisations. Evaluations show increased connection to nature, improved wellbeing and skill development, with many schools continuing Eco Clubs and projects beyond the programme, demonstrating its lasting impact.

Significant Contribution to Conservation Education
Winner: Una Meehan

Uná Meehan is Deputy Head of Childhood, Education and Professional Development (CEPD) and University wide Knowledge Exchange Champion at the University of Chester. She was nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Conservation Education award for her exceptional and longstanding commitment to conservation education, and her clear passion for improving outcomes for young people and the planet. A valued partner of Chester Zoo for many years, Uná has led and collaborated on numerous joint initiatives, from Summer School projects directly benefiting pupils through to supporting trainee teachers to incorporate conservation themes into their teaching using the arts. Most recently, she worked closely with the Chester Zoo team to develop the University of Chester’s pioneering PGCert in Conservation and Sustainability Education, creating one of the first dedicated qualifications for conservation educators. A tireless champion for young people’s voices and for inclusion, Una is known for her optimism, integrity and ability to bring partners from across the education, creative and conservation sectors together to achieve ambitious goals. For all these reasons, and more, she is a very worthy winner of the Significant Contribution to Conservation Award 2026. 

Greener Futures Schools programme - part of Networks for Nature and supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the Westminster Foundation.

The Greener Futures programme empowers schools and young people to connect to nature and become part of a growing network of changemakers who champion wildlife and their local community. A special thank you to our Greener Futures Schools who we’ve worked with this year – The Oaks Primary, The Acorns Primary, Meadow Primary, Sutton Green Primary, The Whitby High and Blacon High.

Congratulations to all our highly commended nominees and award winners. We look forward to celebrating further successes with the Chester Zoo Conservation Education Awards in 2027.