A BYFLEET school has added its contribution to the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

Pupils at St Mary’s C of E Primary planted a row of 15 fruit trees near its Rectory Lane entrance this month as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The planting was done by Years 2 and 6 as a welcome break from their studies.

“We chose these year groups as they are busy working away on their SATs, so we thought it would be a great opportunity for them to get outside and help with the planting,” said Lorraine Townson, the Year 2 Tiger class teacher and outdoor learning lead.

“It’s a way, too, for Year 6, who will be moving on soon, to leave their legacy in the mini fruit tree orchard.

“The children really loved the day, it was the best fun they’d had in ages. They spent all afternoon watering in the trees by bucket.

“Now we’ve got the trees planted we’ve ordered a hose, which should make life easier!

“We were lucky enough to have tree officers Dave Frye and James Veats from Woking Borough Council lending their time to plant our trees with us, and advise on the best way to care for them.

“We are advocates for outdoor learning at St Mary’s so we are really excited for these trees to mature and begin bearing fruit in the coming years.

“We hope to harvest them alongside our allotments to create jams and chutneys amongst other things to support children’s learning, and give them experiences and life skills.”

Jacquie Chambers, the school’s headteacher, added: “We are so grateful to HMP Send, who donated the trees for St Mary’s to use for the Queen's Green Canopy. 

“We really appreciate Woking Borough Council coming to help us plant the trees and we are looking forward to growing our new orchard to serve the community and to enrich our own Nurture in Nature curriculum.”