Eyesore planters are now blooming thanks to £1,300 donation by Major Works partners

Green-fingered schoolchildren received a donation of plants to help improve the environment outside their school and local community centre.

Pupils from Gallions Primary School, on Warwall in East Beckton, approached L&Q to ask if anything could be done to improve three large planters at the adjacent Windsor Park Community Centre. The planters had become an eyesore and dumping ground for rubbish caused by litterbugs.

In response, Major Works Investment Programme partner Equans supplied more than £1,300 of plants as part of their social value commitments to L&Q.

Initially, volunteers from Equans and L&Q teamed up to help clear the planters. Once they were ready for planting, Anna Sanchez, who runs the schools’ gardening club, and several Year Six pupils joined them to help with the raking, planting and sweeping. The last job of the day was laying bark which the school kindly supplied.

The gardening club will continue to look after the planters as part of their lessons.

Karen Field, Social Value Manager at Equans, said:

“I would like to thank all the volunteers, especially the children from the school gardening club, who did a fantastic job because we could never have completed this in a day without all their help.”

Mark Newstead, Director of Major Programmes at L&Q, said:

“It is wonderful to see the children at Gallions Primary School helping to improve their community. Thank you to Equans for donating the plants and volunteering time to make this a reality.

These planters will continue to help the children learn about nature, the environment and the mental and physical health benefits gardening can bring.”