A primary school is to develop an educational outdoor area thanks to a donation from a nuclear group.

NuGen, the firm behind the planned Moorside development, has given £500 to Thornhill Primary School to cover the cost of gardening and outdoor equipment.

The contribution follows a £4,650 donation in 2015, which helped the school to prepare a woodland area in which pupils can work.

Senior teacher Ruth Colley said: “Hands-on outdoor learning is a very important part of the early years curriculum. With the new resources this will enhance their knowledge and understanding of the world.”

The nuclear group has identified 14 community projects which will receive Green Grants worth more than £35,000. These grants are designed to improve the local environment and promote sustainability.

Staff at Thornhill applied for the grant to enable nursery children to access the outdoor area. Speaking after the original donation, Helen Toman, admin officer at Thornhill, said the development would benefit children “socially, morally and culturally”.

She said: “It will benefit the students in English, history and geography and provide enrichment to the curriculum. We hope to develop a safe, calming and quiet place which will inspire the children to write and involves the local community.”

The grant winners were picked by an panel made up of NuGen chief executive Tom Samson, Copeland mayor Mike Starkie, Ann Lackie, from Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and Elspeth Lees, from the University of Cumbria.

Mr Starkie, who has been involved in the Green Grants scheme since its launch in 2015, said: “Once again, I have been amazed by the quality of the projects. It’s been great to see so many people working towards making our communities better and improving our wonderful West Cumbrian environment. I look forward to seeing all these exciting projects come to fruition.”

And Mr Samson said: “The selection process is getting harder because the calibre of applications has really gone up a notch. I think Green Grants has allowed the projects to get creative and aim high – the sky really is the limit for some of these ideas.”