CHILDREN at the brand new The Rissington Primary School have been given all the ingredients to live a more healthy and active lifestyle by getting involved with a local garden project initiative.

Housebuilder Linden Homes donated £380 to transform an outdoor area at the school's Upper Rissington site to include eight raised beds, which can be used to grow and harvest fresh produce by pupils.

Local gardener and compost promoter for the district council, Polly Sayers, is helping the school achieve its goal with the garden project.

“I have a passion for growing and eating my own food so when this opportunity came up to help my local school children to grow vegetables I jumped at it.

“My role will be more of a supporting role with advice and help at stages in the growing year. I would like to thank Linden homes for their support in helping us achieve our goal at the school," she said.

The Rissington Primary school is a new primary school that has been built on the same site as Linden Homes Victory Fields development.

Shelley West, sales and marketing director at Linden Homes Thames Valley, said: “The children at The Rissington Primary School are very fortunate to be in the immediate location of sweeping countryside; so the garden project will be a positive way to encourage pupils to take advantage of the surrounding great outdoors.

“The children at the school are our neighbours, so we are delighted to have been asked to help support this worthwhile idea. We look forward to revisiting the school in the coming months to see how the raised beds have grown and how, in return, this will benefit the children involved.”

The school's headteacher Liz Bannister said: “With the raised beds now in place, the children, along with their peers on the Great Rissington site, who already have raised vegetable beds in place, will learn how to grow vegetables from seeds. We also hope to use some of the produce to prepare meals in the school kitchen.

“We are very grateful to Polly for initiating this project and are looking forward to getting help in tending the gardens from members of the local community.”

Engaging with the local community, gardening groups that include the children, teachers and local community will work as a team to maintain the beds.