Pupils at Eaglesham Primary School have undertaken an exciting project to build a greenhouse out of recycled plastic bottles to grow their own plants, with the help of an ‘in kind’ donation of time, materials and labour from Mactaggart & Mickel Homes.

Parents of four of the pupils at the school work for Mactaggart & Mickel Homes and were among those directly involved in the design and construction of the greenhouse; architectural manager Susan Wilson, joiner MacGregor Perry and contracts manager Jamie McLean, along with joiner Kevin Hyslop who also assisted in its completion.

The greenhouse construction incorporates a staggering 1,700 bottles which were collected by the pupils over a period of 3½ months. The bottles form the transparent walls of the greenhouse structure within a timber frame, trapping light and warmth inside and creating ideal growing conditions.

The impressive range of plants grown in the greenhouse include fennel, lavender, beetroot and others, and were first planted in an area of Rouken Glen Park at their early stages of development before being transported by bus to the school and planted in the greenhouse by a group of ‘global citizens’ representing each class.

The classes also had a watering rota to make sure the plants kept hydrated and didn’t die and took their plants home with them at the end of term.

Eaglesham Primary School is a non-denominational primary school serving the villages of Eaglesham, Waterfoot and the surrounding rural areas, with 410 pupils and a Nursery Class serving 112 pre-school pupils. Mearns Castle High School is the school’s associated secondary.

Jamie McLean, contracts manager at Mactaggart & Mickel Homes, said: “The greenhouse project has been a great experience for the kids and for us grownups too! I was very impressed by the hard work and dedication that went into it, and into caring for the plants; the school now boasts a very impressive new facility which can hopefully be enjoyed for years to come.

“We hope that this has been a really engaging and exciting process for the children, helping them to learn valuable new skills and see the results of their own hard work as they develop”

Mactaggart & Mickel Homes has a long history of supporting good causes. The Building Communities Fund was established to enhance the company’s ongoing efforts to help organisations and projects, though both funding and “in kind” donations, which enhance the lives of people within their local communities.

The fund is open throughout the year to applications from charities, community groups, sports teams and schools within a five mile radius of any live Mactaggart & Mickel Homes development, including Polnoon in Eaglesham.