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A primary school has been gifted its very own ‘secret garden’ thanks to the efforts of a local business.

A once-unused piece of land at Blackwood Primary School has been brought to life for pupils in Years 5 and 6.

The area now contains a firepit and seating area, as well as raised beds, a covered area, picnic table, bird bathes and bird boxes, along with a swing and graffiti wall.

Exclusively for pupils in Years 5 and 6, the garden was transformed thanks to engineering company Senior Flexonics Crumlin, which is based at Pen y Fan Industrial Estate.

The firm covered the costs of the work, while its workforce rolled up their sleeves and spent a day revamping the site.

The school’s business manager, Sarah Bradford, said the school was “delighted” after the firm got in touch offering to create the secret garden.

“As with all schools our time and resources are very stretched,” said Ms Bradford, “so to have someone offer to makeover an area that will benefit the children, we jumped at the chance.

“The garden looks fantastic, and the year 5 and 6 pupils are thrilled to have such a special space of their own.”

It is the second time Senior Flexonics Crumlin has done such a deed, having built a ‘forest school’ for Libanus Primary School, also in Blackwood, last year.

Claire Barry, human resources manager at Senior Flexonics Crumlin, said: “We were really keen to build on the success of last year’s project and the secret garden seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a lasting difference in the local community.

“A big thank you has to go to everyone at Senior Flexonics Crumlin for the enthusiasm which they brought to the project, to the local suppliers whose help was invaluable and also to Neil Hook, the caretaker at Blackwood Primary School, who supported us with the logistics for the initiative and took delivery of supplies in advance of the day.

“We hope that the pupils at Blackwood Primary School will be able to enjoy their secret garden for years to come.”

While the firm funded the project, it was helped by a number of suppliers who offered their time and discounts towards the work. These included Hughes Forrest Blackwood, KARM Graffiti, and MSH Building, as well as SL Recycling.