villagers are being asked to help bring the outside of their local school to life.

A meeting is being staged to recruit community-minded residents to join the renovation of Bere Alston School. The Community Committee meeting is on Monday, February 27 at 5pm. All are welcome to attend.

Gareth Bemister, headteacher since last summer, has pledged to return the school to the heart of the community. He said: ‘The outdoor space in the grounds here at Bere Alston school has huge potential.

‘The grounds are in need of some tidying. Unfortunately, due to the covid pandemic, some areas of the grounds became quite neglected.

‘The Maynard Trust,which owns the listed part of the building, has supported us in clearing a lot of the space so that it can be used again. We now want to make it look really special. It needs a good tidy, a good clear and then some fresh ideas on what we can do with various parts of the space. It should then look as special as the school is, providing our children with more outside space.

‘This is where local people can play a part, with ideas and practical help.’

The ‘green’ ethos extends to the pupils with the recruitment of bespoke Forest School teacher, Jane Morton, to deliver classes for the rest of this year.

Gareth added: ‘This will be a fantastic opportunity for pupils to develop their understanding of the outdoors and the intent is to teach children to nurture their environment.’

The school is also improving some inside space. The main school office has been refurbished, brightening the entrance to the school.

He added: ‘We aim to have the whole school looking this fresh and bright in the coming months, but it all takes time and many hands make light work.

‘I know residents are keen to support this, so I welcome anyone wanting to help develop our outside space and freshen up the inside to come to our meeting.’