Students help the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership to save a species

A rare UK native plant has been ‘adopted’ by the Uckfield Community Technology College, with the seeds safely stored in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst.

View on map: UK - Wakehurst Place,

22 Dec 2010

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The Crepis foetida, known as the stinking hawk’s-beard (Image: Dr Barry Yates, Rye Harbour Nature Reserve)

The Crepis foetida, known as the stinking hawk’s-beard, is an annual or biennial plant, which has only been found on a few coastal sites in south east England, typically on disturbed shingle or chalk. It apparently became extinct in England in 1980, when the last plants were recorded at Dungeness. The species is specially protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Following a talk by Dr Paul Smith, Head of the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP), Uckfield Community Technology College made the MSBP its charity of the year and raised £1,000 to adopt the species under the Adopt a Seed, Save a Species campaign.

Various events were held throughout the year to raise funds to save the species. For example, during Eco Week students and staff were asked to make a pledge to make their lives more sustainable, and when doing so make a small donation of 60p. The Year 9 students held an ‘Eco Fayre’ which proved to be very successful as students enjoyed a chocolate fountain, had their faces painted, ate cakes and purchased second hand books. In July the school held an Environment day and students were asked to pay £1 in return for coming to school in their own clothes.

Kew Foundation would like to extend a big thank you to the students and teachers at Uckfield Community Technology College for supporting the work of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank.

Get involved - Adopt a Seed, Save a Species

We have successfully banked 10% of the world's wild plant species and we have set our sights on saving 25% by 2020.

Without plants there could be no life on earth, and yet every day another four plant species face extinction. Too often when we hear these kind of statistics there is little that we can do as individuals, but thanks to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank partnership and the Adopt a Seed, Save a Species campaign there is something that you can do to ensure the survival of a plant species.

Adopt a seed for just £25 | Save a plant species outright