Pupils fundraise to build village food larder

Pupils at Newton on Trent Primary School are hoping to open a food larder in the village

Pupils at a school in Lincolnshire are trying to raise £1,000 to build a food larder after the owners of the only shop in their village retired.

Children at Newton on Trent Church of England Primary School have so far received £600 from West Lindsey District Council.

They want to help residents to continue to have easy access to food and hygiene items without having to drive to another village, as well as a library and occasional treats baked by the children.

One pupil at the school, Hayden, 9, said the larder would be helpful for people in the village who might find it tricky to get to the shops elsewhere.

He said: "It is going to feel great to help the community where I live. I am looking forward to being a part of it."

Fellow pupil Jess, 10, said she wanted to get involved as one of her elderly neighbours would struggle to get her shopping from a different village.

She said: "My elderly neighbour can't get to the shops in the next village, so she has to wait for her son to go for her.

"This pantry will be really useful for her and will help her to get the things that she needs.

"It is really exciting to be a part of something that will help our whole community."

'Community coming together'

Headteacher Aimee Riley said the children would be responsible for the maintenance and care of the larder.

She said: "As a school, we are continually looking for ways for our pupils to support our local community and add to the wonderful social outreach work carried out by many of its residents.

"We ran a survey of our school community last year and were saddened to see just how much the current cost of living crisis was impacting families in our village.

"As a result, we have opened our gates several times to the community with initiatives such as a free winter meal, seasonal celebrations, community breakfasts and more."

Councillor Lynda Mullally said she was approached by Mrs Riley and asked other councillors to support the plans.

She said: "This project is a shining example of how our community comes together in challenging times.

"We are a small village with some elderly people who cannot get out and about. We do have a bus service, which was recently reinstated, but it only runs twice a day and returns once a day."

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