A DERELICT outdoor woodland area at a primary school could be brought back into use as a community garden and sensory space.

The parent–teacher association (PTA) at Lowercroft Primary School hopes to transform the existing environmental area so that it can be used by pupils, parents, older residents and other members of the community.

Members have put forward a bid to the Aviva Community Fund for £25,000 for the project, which relies on votes from the general public.

If the PTA secures the funding, a school garden and in-house forest school environment would be developed.

Acting headteacher Damian Lansdale said: "The environment area has seen better days. It is incredibly overgrown.

"Due to increasing pressure on staff and a lack of budget, resources have been used elsewhere and the site has become derelict.

"We would really like to see this space used by the children, gardening clubs, and older residents living near the school.

"This money would help us to completely refurbish the space and have it landscaped so that the children can use it during playtimes, we can use it as a teaching resource, and we can engage the local community."

Lowercroft has had an environment area since the mid 1970s when the school was built in Ashington Drive.

The PTA hopes to create an art and mindfulness space, install seating, build several raised planting beds, and construct a greenhouse and vegetable growing area.

Funding would also be used to purchase the plants, trees and seeds to regenerate the outdoor space.

Further plans include developing an interactive sensory area to benefit pupils, particularly those with additional needs.

In their bid to Aviva, the PTA wrote: "To fundraise the kind of money we would need to be able to realise our vision would take years. The PTA is entirely run by volunteers, most of whom are working parents of children at the school.

"This funding would offer the children and the local community a chance today that we would otherwise be asking existing parents to fund where their child might not actually be at the school to see the benefits."

Voting closes on November 20. To support the PTA's environmental project visit www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/voting/project/view/4-2976.