All hands on deck for Telford school's DIY SOS-style outdoor classroom

Builders and landscape gardeners were among around 20 volunteers who got stuck in to create the new outdoor learning area at the site, in New Road, Wrockwardine Wood.

Well wishers and parents joined school staff and pupils on Saturday to lay out the new zone that is being made with recycled materials including tyres and wood.

The project is the brainchild of after-school club Eco Warriors, which successfully applied for a £950 grant from environmental trust Veolia and Telford & Wrekin Council towards the cost of installing the features, including a pond, bee-friendly plants, as well as fruit trees and herbs for use in food and science lessons.

Telford Priory School pupil Emily Chapple, 14, said: "I am part of the Eco Warriors committee. The idea came from the school's gardening club which I was also a part of. We decided to create an outdoor classroom and this is what we are putting into action now.

"We've been working on the plans since autumn term. It's going really well."

Among the residents to come to the school's aid were retired landscaper Steve Bowers, Will Foulkes Landscaping & General Building and Majid Al Mustafpha, of the Syrian Refugee Group, all based in Telford.

Mr Bowers, who brought along a team of five, said: "We've come because we love to give back to the community. We've actually taken part in two BBC DIY SOS programmes when we helped a family in Craven Arms and a family in West Bromwich.

"We jumped at the chance to help out Telford Priory School when they appealed for help."

The school's head of geography Adrian Parker said: "It's really great to see so many members of the public turning up. The support has helped this day to be a complete success. Basically we're installing big raised flower beds with tyres and recycled scaffolding boards and we're putting in a pond.

"The plan is to grow herbs and vegetables for our food technology lessons and use the environmental ideas in geography lessons. We're part of the Communities Academies Trust and the outdoor learning area draws on the trust's ethos."

The completed learning area will be officially unveiled next month.