Children at Hob Green Primary School in Stourbridge, have started eating healthier meals and started taking an interest in fresh produce.

This prompted staff to apply for a grant from The Lottery Awards for All scheme to create their own vegetable garden.

The school’s new growing club started this this year which has attracted a lot of young gardeners who are now harvesting their first crop of carrots, spinach, lettuce and radishes.

Star pupil Ben Foster, aged eight, has grown the cream of the crop with his giant pumpkin which has a circumference of 51 inches (137 centimetres).

The heavyweight pumpkin was only planted in June.

Learning mentor at the school, Helen Webb, said: “There has been a healthy eating initiative at the school.

“This has been good for the children as they have taken more of an interest in fresh produce.

“Now we have children trying radishes who have never eaten them before.

“After eating healthy food the next step was for us to start growing our own.

“Ben was very keen. He was always watering his pumpkin. We didn’t give it any food as we wanted the garden to be organic. We also put carpet underneath it to stop it rotting.

“However the rest of the pumpkins on the plants did not do very well as I think all the nutrition went to this big one.”

The school was give a £1,250 grant from Awards for All.

It is hoped Hob Green will produce even more of their own produce next year which will be used to make tasty recipes in the school kitchen.

* Have you grown a pumpkin to beat Ben’s belter?

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By Rebecca Jones

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