THE opening of a school allotment was celebrated by giving gifts – of strawberries grown by the children!
Parents, pupils and teachers watched on as Epping Forest District Council chairman Mary Sartin cut the ribbon at Roydon Primary School, along with members of the school council.

The project was launched back in October when the Year 6 school councillors attended a conference where they were challenged to come up with a scheme to improve their school environment.

Gill Doyle, headteacher of the school in Epping Road, Roydon, said: “This is what my team came up with – an allotment patch for each class, where they would grow fruit and vegetables to be used in cooking to support their learning and the promotion of healthy eating.

“We won a trophy for the idea and so thought we should do something about making this idea a reality.”

Parents who donated plants and their time to create the allotment – in a previously overgrown area of school grounds – were given a thank-you gift of a strawberry grown by the children in the allotment.