A ROUGH piece of unused land behind a classroom at St Mark’s Junior School in Salisbury will soon be transformed into a new school allotment.

The Chalkface to Greenspace project aims to turn the area into a garden where pupils can grow their own fruit and vegetables and learn more about where their food comes from.

The school plans to teach a wide range of subjects in the allotment and is hoping the local community will lend its support with donations of gardening equipment and funding.

“More and more pupils are now arriving at school without an understanding of how the food they eat is grown,” said deputy headteacher Nicky Phillips.

“In my experience, when children get involved in growing they can’t wait to eat their produce, and become quite passionate about gardening and experimenting with food.

“This is a really exciting project, especially as the pupils now have the opportunity to sell their produce through the school’s Campus Café and shop”.

The project is being supported by parent governor Stephen Hackett who owns gardening company The Constant Gardener. “While we might have the land, we need some help to get the project going,” he said.

“We will be looking for external funding for some parts of the project, but to get us started we are appealing to parents and the public to raid their sheds and garages for unwanted seed trays, timber, tools, canes and pallets – or anything they think might be useful.”

To make a donation contact the school on 01722 333497.