Severn Trent volunteers dug deep to help a Gloucestershire school create an edible garden and sensory space for pupils to enjoy and learn about nature.

Greatfield Park Primary School in Cheltenham was given a helping hand after winning the water company’s first NeighbourGOOD award - and £2,500 in funding.

The helpers spent two days transforming an overgrown nature area into a vibrant educational space, which also included a rope bridge and wildflower patch to provide hands-on learning for pupils. The new garden will also offer community engagement through workshops and an after-school gardening club.

Greatfield Parent Teacher Association had applied for the NeighbourGood scheme and won an online vote. A spokesperson said: “We’re so thankful to Severn Trent for the grant and volunteers who helped make our ideas become reality. We were so excited after months of planning as a team to get stuck in, and turn an overgrown woodland area into a useable space for years to come for the children.

“We also had support from our local garden centre, Shurdington Nurseries, for all the plant and tree advice.”

Sally Freeman, Deputy Head at Greatfield, added: "We are delighted with the fantastic work that Severn Trent volunteers have done for our school and are incredibly excited to see the impact our rejuvenated Outdoor Learning Area will have on all of our children.

“Thanks to the successful bid by our wonderful and generous PTA and the help of the volunteers, our vision of bringing our ambitious curriculum outdoors and supporting the mental well-being of our children is becoming a reality! We really can’t thank Severn Trent enough.”

Liz Heath, Social Impact Lead at Severn Trent said: “It was great to see some of our colleagues out supporting Greatfield Park Primary School.

“Our NeighbourGOOD Scheme was only introduced last year as we looked to increase our support to the communities we serve, so we’re delighted to now be out in the community supporting these projects.

“We want to support groups like this, which clearly play a crucial role in offering a helping hand to their communities, it was great to see so many faces there during the day.”