AN outdoors scheme at a city school has been given a funding boost.

Worcester’s Lyppard Grange Primary School will receive £1,500 via a Tesco and Groundwork UK programme to be used to support the mental health of its pupils through a gardening project.

All pupils will have the chance to benefit from time outdoors gardening, whether it be weeding, sowing or harvesting fruit and vegetables.

Pupils will use five planters in the school grounds to grow flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables.

The grant will enable the school to buy gardening tools and equipment to help maintain the planters as well as purchase seeds and bulbs for pupils to grow in them.

Project founder and eco leader Fiona Tilley said: “Being in the outdoors and spending time with nature is well known to improve mental health.

“For small projects like ours, grants like this allow us to help more children feel happy and healthy whilst being proactive and productive in improving the school grounds as well as feeling they are taking ownership of the school garden.

“Nothing tastes as sweet as a strawberry you have grown yourself and we have plans to grow strawberries, runner and French beans, salad vegetables, beautiful sweet peas and pollinator plants that will attractive bees and butterflies.”

To boost funds for extra food and activity equipment, Tesco has introduced the £5 million grant programme in partnership with Groundwork UK to give children across the UK a stronger start in life.

The grants will help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks and equipment for healthy activities.

Tesco’s Stronger Starts, previously Tesco Bags of Help and Tesco Community Grants, has already provided over £110 million to more than 60,000 projects across Britain.

Claire de Silva, Tesco UK head of communities and local media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life.

“Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration and ultimately achieve more too.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK chief executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health.

“Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities.

To find out more, visit tescoplc.com/strongerstarts