Children preparing the oaks of the future

Meadowside Community Primary School in Knaresborough is taking part in the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) initiative to get families and local adults to help to improve school gardens.

Head teacher Nigel Ashley said: "We have been collecting acorns from the aging oak trees in a nearby park to be planted on the day and looked after until they have grown into seedlings.

"The idea is then to give them back to Harrogate Council to ensure that the whole community can continue to enjoy having oak trees in the park for many years to come."

On Thursday the school is staging a Get Your Grown-ups Growing event, one of a number being hosted by Yorkshire schools, which will see parents, grandparents and neighbours joining children in developing school garden areas.

Mr Ashley added: "We've got lots of different things going on which both grown-ups and children can help with. There will be a scarecrow-making competition that families can take part in.

"Adult helpers will supervise the clearing of our railway embankment, the planting of fruit bushes and spring bulbs in a spiral pattern so that when the flowers are in bloom the children will be able to run through the 'maze' to a central spot.

"We're also getting our pupils to teach the grown-ups a thing or two about making plant labels on the computer, planting cress heads, creating a 'wildlife hotel' and creating wind chimes for the willows."

As the UK's leading gardening charity, the RHS has been running its Campaign for School Gardening since 2007. Almost three million children have already benefited.

Sue Biggs, Director General at the RHS, said: "The educational and health benefits that gardening offers children are not to be underestimated.

"At the RHS we think it's important that every child has access to a garden area."