GREEN-FINGERED children in Newport have celebrated scooping a hat-trick of awards for their school’s garden areas.

Pentrepoeth Primary School pupils have won schools’ prizes in competitions at city, regional and national levels over recent weeks.

Based at the school on Cwm Cwddy Drive, their efforts won a runners-up prize for Newport in Bloom, first in Gwent in Bloom and third place in Wales in Bloom’s schools’ competition.

Year 4 teacher John Wilmore, who looks after the school’s Eco Team, said of pupils involved in the gardening: “They do an awful lot of work. There are 24 members elected but there are about 50 to 60 children who help out."

He reserved special praise for John Barrowman, a governor who also helps the children with their gardening.

And Mr Wilmore said: “We have got gardens here; we have got a nature trail; we have got a garden area.”

Pupils and teachers attended a special ceremony in Pembrokeshire for the Wales in Bloom awards on September 19.

Mr Wilmore said: “If you were invited it meant you have got something and we found out when we got there we’d got a third place for Wales. It was the first time we had entered so we were very pleased.

“They said they were very impressed by our gardens and by the children who took the judges around and their knowledge.”

The schools’ competition saw further Gwent success. As the Argus has previously reported, Usk Primary School scooped first place. The schools were given their awards by judges at the Wolfscastle Country Hotel in Wolf’s Castle.

Among the other outdoor spaces at their school, Pentrepoeth's pupils can use a rugby pitch and football pitch, a large play area, a nature trail, a pond and other outdoor seating areas .

The school says on its website that these have been provided by its parents and teachers’ association and governors and have been coordinated by Mr Wilmore and Mr Barrowman.