A house-builder has teamed up with Portbury’s primary school to help make a food-growing project become a reality.

St Mary’s Primary School was handed funding through the Tim Peake Grant – a scheme which aims to celebrate the British astronaut’s mission to the International Space Station.

However, the grant did not cover the cost of clearing and preparing the grounds and Taylor Wimpey offered to help.

The developer, which is behind the Harbour Edge housing project in Portishead, offered to provide staff and a digger to clear the site and lay foundations for the polytunnel to sit where the food will be grown.

Teacher Eloise Sinclair said: “On behalf of the pupils and staff at our school, I’d like to say a huge thank you to Taylor Wimpey for donating their time and efforts to manage the initiative and help us get our polytunnel project off the ground, as well as the team from Bristlewand Ltd who helped carry out the work.

“We’re a small school so without Taylor Wimpey donating their time and work, we would have had to organise further fundraising events in order to start this project for our pupils to be able to enjoy.”

The polytunnel will enable the school’s teachers to educate their pupils in a new and interactive way.

Mrs Sinclair said: “We plan to use the new equipment for science experiments to teach the children about growing food in Britain and various climates across the world – it will be a fantastic way for pupils to learn about sustainability and the environment.”

Taylor Wimpey’s acting sales and marketing director, Danielle Heard, said the company was delighted it could step in and help out.

She added: “We’re proud to support and further enrich the local communities in which we build, so we’re delighted to contribute towards preparing the way for St Mary’s Primary School’s new polytunnel.

“Providing pupils with the opportunity to use these unique and interactive surroundings is a fantastic way to make learning fun and help engage children with the world around them.

“We hope everyone at the school enjoys the brand new polytunnel.”