National biodiversity award for Muswell Hill autism charity’s Treehouse School project

Muswell Hill-based charity Ambitious About Autism have celebrated winning a national award for a project as part of its Treehouse School.

The Woodside Avenue group's Saplings Project has seen a patch of land transformed with the help of volunteers into an outdoor teaching spaace for children and young epople with autism.

The success of the scheme was recognised earlier in September by the BIG Biodiversity Challenge, who gave it its community engagement award.

Project leader Julia Lampard thanked the corporate volunteers who had helped create and maintain the space and added: "As a result of the project pupils are learning valuable work-related skills and a respect for the natural environment.

"The location of the site adjacent to a busy pathway has been a bonus in generating discussions with passers-by about the work."

She added that AAA hope to expand the project and focus more on biodiversity and its 'seed-to-sell' social enterprise pilot.

The BIG Biodiversity Challenge is a national awards programme aimed at pushing the construction industry to improve its contribution to the natural world.