Schoolchildren were helped to build wooden plant boxes as part of a £50,000 community investment project.

The initiative at Lees Primary School was supervised by local food and gardening hero Steve Thorpe and was the first to be funded by the Cross Roads, Lees and Brow Urban Village Project.

This is a Bradford Council scheme to put money into a part of the Worth Valley which has never previously qualified for grant aid. The pupils were shown how to make four six-feet-square raised wooden planters, which will be used to grow vegetables for the school kitchen.

Once the containers are filled with soil, Mr Thorpe will help the youngsters choose the best vegetables to plant and teach them how to look after their garden.

Healthy eating at the school is the first of 11 urban village-funded schemes which will take place across Brow, Lees and Cross Roads.

These will involve a variety of age groups, ranging from primary school pupils to teenagers and adults, giving all the opportunity to make a lasting difference to their neighbourhood.

Urban village project chairman, Councillor Peter Hill, said: “Our aim is to make real and lasting improvements that will benefit everyone for years to come, long after the money is spent.”