VOLUNTEERS from a Camberley company have helped create a new reading garden at Valley End Infant School.

Six staff members from Stewart and Co spent a day clearing, trimming, weeding, cleaning and jet-washing to transform an overgrown outdoor space at the school in Chobham.

The working party from the chartered accountants and business advisers firm joined in a project to provide a new outdoor reading space with a welcoming sensory environment.

Their visit was arranged by CMPP, a charity that helps companies in Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey to get involved in their communities through donating employees’ time to carry out charitable tasks.

The team was led by Lucy Evans, a partner in the firm and whose daughter, Mia, attends the school. “This is the first of many projects we hope to do for CMPP,” she said.

“It’s part of our commitment to supporting the local community and we also want to empower our staff to enjoy new experiences together outside the working environment. All our staff jumped at the chance to get involved and it was a lovely team-building exercise for us too.”

The transformation followed a donation of almost 100 non-fiction books by the Friends of Valley End, the parent-teacher association, aimed at supporting the school’s mission to offer the optimum learning experience through reading.

Headteacher Kate Harper-Cole commented: “We’re always looking at ways to create welcoming new reading environments for our children, as we fully recognise the importance of inspiring a love for books and for reading from a very early age.

“We're very grateful to CMPP and to Stewart and Co for coming to the school to make this happen.”