In 2024, speakers from around the world came to the University of Manchester for a four-day event during which they presented some of the latest findings they have developed in this field, gain a further understanding of their practice, and develop new ideas to progress their work. Among these speakers, on the final day of the conference, were the ten Year 10 students from Stretford Grammar School who make up the Treescapes Project.

The students gave a session in the Main Building of the University of Manchester. They showed the film they had created, gave a talk about the work they had done and the impact it had had on them and their community, and led a workshop with attendees, replicating some of the project and allowing them to answer questions and develop relationships. They spoke fluently and with passion, and answered questions thoughtfully and showed real insight. It was hard to believe they were 14-year-old students and not seasoned researchers. Their session lasted 90 minutes, and was thoroughly enjoyable, and the audience were really appreciative of the job they had done.

After the session, the students visited the Manchester Museum, on the University of Manchester campus, to have a tour of the new Wild special exhibition. A celebration of the diversity of the natural world in a range of different environments and from a range of perspectives. The students were amazed, when they came to the end of the exhibition, to see that their film formed part of the display. So, visitors to the museum over the next year will be able to view the fantastic results of the filming and science that the students created over the last two years.

The whole day was an incredible reflection of the wonderful qualities of the Treescapes group, and a fantastic reward for all the hard work they put in.