Students at a Haverhill special school will have the benefits of outdoor teaching thanks to a £12,000 fundraising project.

An outdoor classroom has been officially unveiled at Churchill Special Free School after the money was raised through Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme and supported by the school’s Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA).

Churchill headteacher Georgina Ellis, who led a similar campaign for an outdoor structure when she was at Wickhambrook Primary Academy, said she was delighted by Churchill’s newest addition.

She added: “The new classroom will give students the chance to learn outdoors, whether that is art classes, English or enjoying some lunch outside in the summer.

“I would like to say a big thank you to Haverhill Tesco for supporting the project in this fantastic way.

“We would also like to thank the PTFA for their support and invaluable help writing the application.”

Claire Bowden, community champion at Haverhill Tesco, said they were delighted that the carrier bag charge scheme had supported such an importance project on their doorstep.

She added: “This is exactly why Bags of Help was set up and I am sure students at Churchill Special Free School will get a huge benefit from their outdoor classroom.”

Both members of the public and community groups can nominate projects for Bags of Help support.

For more details visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp