A NEW orchard was planted at Soudley School on Monday with a little help from Forest housing association Two Rivers.

A patch of land at the side of the school was donated by Two Rivers, which rents out 32 affordable homes to local people in the village.

The trees are all local heritage varieties including Arlingham Schoolboy, Ashmead's Kernel, Jenny Lind, Spout Apple, and Hunt's Duke of Gloucestershire.

The trees have been sponsored by families in the school and have also been dedicated to friends and families and came from Day's Orchard, organic apple juice producers from Brookthorpe, Gloucestershire.

The school's chair of governors Lucy Motson said the project was a great way to bring nature and the environment into the classroom.

"Planting an orchard is a great way to make the links between so many subjects of vital importance to our children. Trees are at the centre of the web of life, cleaning the air we breathe, producing our food and providing homes for wildlife. They are our most direct link with nature," she said.

School governor and recently retired Two Rivers board member Jean Birkett reinforced the importance of the project.

"Apple trees have an even more powerful link with our past. Gloucestershire has a great orchard tradition. Our Soudley Orchard will be a living history lesson. Local food is also a really important issue, connecting us to the local economy and issues like food miles and climate change," she said.

The whole community have been involved in the project, with parents, governors and community members working together to clear it ready for the orchard.

"I would particularly like to C M Barber Plant Hire who came with a digger to help us out," Lucy said.