Severn Trent volunteers will be digging in to help a Worcestershire school transform its former caretaker bungalow and gardens to boost pupil wellbeing and learning.

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College recently won the water company’s first NeighbourGOOD award and £2,500 in funding, plus the offer of a helping hand from its staff.

And next week Severn Trent volunteers will be building, painting and gardening at the ‘Bungalow Project', designed to create a therapeutic space to boost student attendance, learning and wellbeing.

The project was chosen as the Worcestershire winner in an online vote after impressing a panel of independent local figures, including councillors and journalists.

A school spokesperson said: “The project is so important to us as it will give vulnerable students amazing facilities to use and enjoy through their learning on the preparing for adulthood curriculum.  It will also provide them with an environment in which they can learn new skills such as the gardening and planting.”

The volunteer days take place on 24^th and 25 of February.

The spokesperson added: “The volunteers are going to be very busy from painting and installing picket fences and sleepers, painting outhouses to be used as educations bases, trimming bushes and weeding edges, laying turf and patio and constructing lots of new garden furniture.

“We are all very excited to see the finished work and open the bungalow for the students.”

Megan Aplin, Societal Strategy Delivery Manager at Severn Trent, said: “We’re determined to make our region a better place by being more than just a water company to our communities.

“NeighbourGOOD is just one of the ways we are helping our communities, along with our Community Fund and affordability and employability schemes.”