Gas Grant for Morpeth's Garden Gang

Pupils at Morpeth’s St Robert’s RC First School will be going green and eating their greens after winning a grant from Northern Gas Networks.

The school has been awarded £3,700 to create a garden on land affected by the recent floods. As well as growing fruit and vegetables for use in the school kitchen, teachers will use the garden to teach pupils about the environment and sustainability.

The grant has been awarded through the Northern Green Networks programme, an environmental scheme run by Northern Gas Networks. This year, more than £60,000 has been donated to schools and community groups across the region.

Annette McDougall from the school said the creation of the garden was great news for the community affected by flooding. She said: “pupils were already looking forward to creating the garden. She said: “Flood damage has impacted on so many people in this area, the funding is a wonderful opportunity to inject some hope back into our community.

“The pupils are really excited about getting their hands dirty and doing some gardening and it gives us a great opportunity to teach them and the environment and sustainable living. As we will be growing our own vegetables and using them in the school kitchens, we will also be able to encourage healthy eating.”

Deborah Yewdall from Northern Gas Networks presented the school with their prize. She said: “Northern Green Networks was designed to support local community groups who are getting out there and making a difference to their environment. These grants are a way of recognising the effort and dedication of these groups and help them go that extra mile.”