Neighbours joined parents and their children for a voluntary ‘do it yourself’ weekend to spruce up the playgound in a primary school in London’s deprived East End.
They gave the playground and garden at Christchurch Primary in Spitalfields a total environmentally-friendly makeover on Saturday and Sunday.
Volunteers from groups around in Brick Lane who use the school facilities even turned up to help, including members of Spitalfields Community Group and the congregation from Christ Church.
The get-together was the brainchild of the school’s Early Years reception teacher Nazanin Hajir.
“We wanted as many people as possible from the neighbourhood to join us,” she said.
“This was a chanced to have some fun outdoors while meeting the community and helping our eco-makeover.”
Even businesses sent staff volunteers to join in, including the prestigious Allen & Overy law firm whose international headquarters in Bishops Square, off Commercial Street, are just five minutes from the school.
Volunteers got a free meal with food donated by the nearby Suzzle café, Hummingbird bakery and a Tesco local supermarket.
Paint was also donated while the Tyre Shop nearby rolled out used tyres to be made into seats and planters.
Neighbours also rallied with contributions of plants, outdoor paints, wood and other DIY materials, as well as clean plastic containers that were being recycled as planters.
Tasks undertaken ranged from making a wall garden from recycled milk bottles to fashioning seats out of old tyres.
It all helps to improve the school environment for the children and make learning more fun.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here