Bolton: St Bedes primary school revives Morris Green Lane allotment

St Bede's Church of England Primary Academy, on Morris Green Lane, Bolton, has owned the plot of allotment off nearby Back Sampling Road South since 2005.

During that the space, which has once been a key setting for children to learn about the natural world, had fallen into an overgrown and unkempt state, but has now been saved thanks to the generosity of several local firms.

Head of school Sarah Rostron said: “We can’t thank them enough.

"This is going to be an amazing resource, not just for school, but for other groups in the local community.”

For many years, nothing had been done about the overgrown allotment due to funding challenges.

In response, staff members at St Bede formed an allotment working party to try and restore the plot to create a space where children could learn from nature.

After the school put out an appeal for volunteers to help them revive the site, PGL Pipelines, which has been working on upgrading he area's gas pipes, stepped in on a voluntary basis to help remake the space, with the help of builders merchants Travis Perkins and skip hire firm Bithells.

Thanks to their work, the space is now once again usable as an outdoor teaching space for St Bedes.

PGL Pipelines director Aaron Ashbarry said: "We spotted they needed a little help and we were more than happy to do it. It looks great and we know it will make a huge difference to the school and community here."

The firm's partner gas company Cadent, which is currently working on upgrading around 20,000 metres of gas pipes around Bolton, hopes that this will help to forge long lasting links with the community.

Cadent engineering manager Kevin Flynn said: "We have a big gas main upgrade programme ongoing in Bolton, which means our teams and partners are spending a lot of time here.

"Over time, you become a part of the community, so doing something like this is a great way to give back and leave a lasting impression."