Rachel visited some work being done by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers this week. The children at Bramley St Peter’s Primary School are receiving a huge boost as staff and volunteers from the BTCV are building them an allotment of eight new beds to plant vegetables in at their school.

The Supergrounds Project, which has been running for over five years, is funded by RBS. Staff from RBS have also been in the school painting the fence and doing other much needed tasks. Next week the children will choose what to put in the beds, as each year group will have their own bed. They will also help to install a fence around the allotment.

The Assistant Project Officer Dougie Watson said, “This new allotment is a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn to grow their own vegetables, and take messages home about sustainable living to their families, in turn helping to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Claire Rogers is a Volunteer Officer at the project. She commented, “This project allows me to give back to my local community, and encourage kids in inner city schools to grow their own food. As part of my role at the BTCV I enjoy leading groups of volunteers from a wide range of different backgrounds.”

Rachel Reeves, Labour’s parliamentary candidate in Leeds West visited the project this week, and commented, “It was great to meet the staff and volunteers of BTCV. I was happy to hear that RBS are funding the project. As the Copenhagen summit debates our world’s future, it is great to see projects like this one, encouraging children to think about their impact in our local area.”