SCHOOL children are enjoying a bit of al fresco learning in the Spring sunshine after a new outdoor study space was funded from the sale of supermarket plastic bags.

Pupils at Stamford Park Infant School, near Cedar Road, Altrincham, are basking in the open air study space thanks to a £4,000 grant from Tesco.

The supermarket giant awarded the school the grant as part of their Bags of Help Initiative at an official cheque presentation on Monday. The initiative provides thousands of community projects with vital funding every year.

Mrs McDowell, head teacher of Stamford Park, said: “The planting area has created a fantastic new place for children to play in and learn from. The new space gives children access to a calm and peaceful area during break times as well as allowing for the facilitation of an outdoor classroom and providing a space for reading with teachers.

“The Tesco Bags of Help grant has had such a great impact on the day-to-day lives of Stamford’s pupils and staff. Everyone in the school community benefits, and we are thrilled with our new outdoor learning space.”

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding scheme in 2015, which sees grants being awarded to fund local community projects with money raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores.

Stamford Park have put the grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme to great use by enhancing the school’s outdoor facilities for its pupils through the development of a multifunctional outdoor learning space.

Located at the front entrance to the school, the new outdoor planting area offers a great first impression for visitors whilst providing an additional learning space for pupils.

The area has enhanced the science curriculum by providing opportunities for the children to participate in the care and nurturing of plants and observe wildlife.

Since launching Bags of Help, Tesco has awarded over £33 million to more than 6,400 local projects in 600 communities.

Mark Thomas, Corporate Affairs Manager for the North for Tesco, said: “It’s excellent to see the Tesco Bags of Help initiative making such a positive difference in Altrincham.

"We’re looking forward to seeing many more projects in South Manchester and I’d encourage anyone interested to look online or pop into store to find out how their community can benefit.”

Three community projects in each local area will be voted on by Tesco customers every time they shop, using a blue token given to them at the checkout. The nominated projects change every other month.

Community groups and charities can apply for funding by visiting the Bags of Help website, www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp