BUDDING young Gourock gardeners hosted a special celebration to mark the opening of their ‘blooming’ brilliant new school allotment.

Staff and pupils at St Ninian’s Primary held a bumper garden party as they cut the ribbon on their colourful new outdoor space.

The allotment project was funded by science organisation the Edina Trust, who provided £550 towards materials, while equipment was also donated by Homebase in Greenock.

The company also kindly gave some of the 25 varieties of edible plants that the garden boasts.

Pupils and staff recently welcomed a host of special guests to mark the opening — which was hailed a huge success.

Mary Griffin, one of the school science co-ordinators, said: “The main reason for holding the garden party was to thank the people in our local community who have supported us in this venture.

“Thanks also go to Homebase and the Edina Trust, who aided us both with resources and advice on things like planting.

“They were also interested in our goal which was to learn about the growth of fruit and vegetables which we could turn into healthy meals made by our pupils.

“To this end they provided us with gardening books and cookbooks specifically for home-grown fruit and vegetables.” The party was held shortly before the school holidays and allowed pupils to show off what they have learned and some of the plants and vegetables they have grown.

Students also prepared a special buffet made up of ingredients they will grow in their garden.

Mrs Griffin said: “Our head teacher Mrs McCabe was delighted to announce our successful bid for an educational grant which will provide our school with opportunities to further this food project through a Healthier Choices, Healthier Lives initiative.

“To celebrate the occasion, our pupils provided a buffet for our invited guests using the types of fruits and vegetables we are going to harvest over this year.

“P1 to P7 provided dishes including homemade strawberry jam and jellies, cakes, pizzas, pastas, Ratatouille and potato wedges — all washed down by guests’ choice of smoothies made to order.

“We were grateful to Martin Armstrong, manager of Sainsbury’s Gourock, who very kindly donated fruit for our smoothies and ingredients for our pizzas, as well as blenders.

“Our pupils donned their chef’s hats and served up their food to our special guests who also included members of Gourock Horticultural Society as well as other valued supporters of our school.

“Our choir sang ‘Food, Glorious Food’ and Father Gerry Gallacher officially opened our allotment with a prayer.

“A great time was had by all.” The school garden has already gained huge support from various businesses and charities, including Action for Children, who provided handmade raised beds for vegetables.

Mrs Griffin said: “They will continue to support us in the future with practical help provided by trainees.

“This was brought about by Paul Carberry, operational director of children’s services for Action for Children.

“At present we have over 25 different kinds of edible plants — including a banana plant!” See today's Tele for full pictures.