GREEN-FINGERED pupils from Malmesbury Primary School have been celebrating this week after receiving a generous donation towards their garden and healthy eating project.

The youngsters have been learning about where food comes from in their gardening classes and thanks to Bloor Homes, the school now has a gardening shed to store all of their tools.

The privately owned national housebuilder, whose Filands View development on Filands Road is less than a mile away from the school, decided to contribute towards the school so that pupils can take full advantage of a series of exciting experiences that are planned in the gardening classes.

The school has an active and enthusiastic gardening club, led by Year 3 teacher Geraldine Jones and a large outdoor area with many raised beds is kept looking good year-round by the children. Growing a variety of fruits and vegetables is a real passion of the children and what was missing, up until now, was somewhere to store all their equipment materials.

Steve Heal, headteacher at Malmesbury Primary School, said: “Schools are always short on storage space, and the equipment was being squeezed into gaps all around the site, so it was with great excitement that the children watched as the new Bloor shed was delivered and erected in just the right place.

“The shed is at the heart of the garden area, providing ample storage exactly where it is needed, it may even provide shelter from the occasional rain shower. The children are thrilled to have a base to call their own and a space to organise.

“This donation from Bloor meant that the school will now be able to invest in more gardening equipment, increasing the range of activities and the number of pupils involved in the club. So, we would like to express our gratitude to Bloor for supporting the project. Their generosity will have a lasting impact on the children of our school.

“Malmesbury Primary School loves to extend the curriculum beyond the basics and beyond the standard school day, especially to keep children in touch with the rhythms of nature and gardening is such a creative activity."

Karen Turner, regional sales manager for Bloor Homes South West, added: “We are always eager to support in any viable way the local schools and communities where we build our developments.

“We are really looking forward to hearing all those fascinating stories from the children at Malmesbury Primary School about their activities.”