The housebuilder has donated £1,000 to the primary school as part of their Eco-Gardens Initiative, which aims to support the development of vibrant green spaces and sustainability in the communities within which they build.

The Stewart Milne Homes funding has been used to purchase a selection of gardening tools including spades, trowels, and watering cans which the pupils will use to help enhance the school grounds, including at the nursery, support for learning centre, walled garden and memorial garden.

Funding will also be used towards the purchase of a selection of fruit and vegetable plants, which the children will learn to plant and nurture in a dedicated food garden in the school’s walled garden.

Stewart Milne Homes hopes to inspire the next generation of gardeners to experience the joy of growing their own plants and vegetables, whilst helping to instill positive skills that promote healthy lifestyle choices.

As well as the funding, school children also received hi-vis jackets to help keep them safe whilst outdoors, especially in the darker winter months.

Stewart Milne Homes continues to progress the development of its Hunter’s Meadow development where it has created a neighbourhood of three, four, five and six-bedroom family homes.

Tony Williamson, sales & marketing director, Stewart Milne Homes Scotland, said: “The Community School of Auchterarder is an integral part of the community and we are proud to help enhance its garden areas which will benefit both pupils and staff for years to come.

“We are pleased to hear that the school already has great plans in place to use the donation to help teach pupils how to grow fruit and vegetables in a dedicated food garden, which is a fantastic skill to help promote positive lifestyle habits.

“Working with local communities is part of Stewart Milne Homes’ identity with our people-first approach to development. Our highly sought-after Hunter’s Meadow development has been designed with this same approach, with plentiful green space and flexible home layouts which accommodate modern day lifestyles.”

Kathryn Dalrymple, head teacher at The Community School of Auchterarder, said: “The health and wellbeing of our pupils is paramount, and we are consistently looking at how we can help to promote positive life skills that children will benefit from which outdoor learning and gardening enables.

“The generous donation from Stewart Milne Homes has helped us to accelerate plans to upgrade garden space across the campus that will both boost the attractiveness of the school, as well as encourage pupils to get green fingered.

“We are really excited to watch the garden flourish as we get stuck into creating dedicated garden spaces with an array of flower types and fruit and vegetable plants, which will really bring the full food cycle to life for our pupils.”