Schoolchildren in Cwmbran have designed and built a bespoke wooded forest area for outdoor activities with a £1,000 grant from Tesco.

The area was designed by pupils at Henllys Church in Wales School with the help of Friends of Henllys Local Nature Reserve, and constructed by children in the school’s key worker hub.

The newly-created space gives pupils a chance to combine outdoor learning and team-building activities, with every child in the school contributing by planting their very own tree. The outdoor area also includes a rope puzzle, a fire pit as the centre piece and a wild flower meadow currently under construction to increase biodiversity in the school grounds.

The funding, awarded as part of the Tesco Community Grants scheme, helped to purchase the fire pit, seeds for the meadow, as well as cement, ropes, wooden stakes and sleepers to help make some of these improvements possible.

Philippa Minto, headteacher at Henllys Church in Wales School, said: “We are so pleased with our forest area and our pupils love using it. The success of the area is due to the very generous grant we received from Tesco, the help and support of the Friends of Henllys P.T.A., the Friends of Henllys Local Nature Reserve and the enthusiasm of the pupils who helped design and build it.

“Pupil Voice is a huge part of our curriculum and the children are already using their creative skills to think of outdoor activities that they want to take part in. The wellbeing of the pupils and staff has been greatly enhanced as a result of the regeneration of our school grounds.”

Last year alone, more than 10,000 groups were awarded grants of over £7.9m by Tesco throughout the UK.

Keith Jackson, community manager at Tesco, said: “We’ve been delighted to have been able to support Henllys Church in Wales School and it is great to hear how the funding has been used to enhance the learning and wellbeing of its pupils.

“We’re encouraging even more charities, community groups and organisation in Wales to apply for funding as we hope to see the fantastic work they provide to continue long into the future.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK chief executive, said: “The last year has been extremely difficult for everyone, and that includes community groups and charities who will have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Many groups have seen a surge in demand for their services while volunteer numbers decrease, which has caused mounting pressure.

“We’re delighted to be working with Tesco to provide these much-needed funds, which will help to support local communities as we recover from the pandemic.”

Tesco Community Grants supports thousands of local community projects and good causes across the UK. The scheme is open to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations, and eligible organisations can apply for a grant now.

Apply for a Tesco Community Grant

Visit the Tesco Community Grant website to find out more or to apply for a grant.