YOUNG gardeners belonging to an afterschool club in Codford have been awarded £1,900 to help build a wildlife-friendly veranda.

Wylye Coyotes will use the veranda to link their two mobile buildings with the outdoors and provide a secure outdoor play area for younger members and a café area for older residents.

The funding has come through a Wessex Water grid community award with the club being situated close to the company’s engineering works.

Kate Brayne from the club said: “The children had begun planting seeds for the wildlife veranda even though we didn’t have funding to build it because gardening is central to what we do.

“This project has had great support from parents and the local community and our award will quite transform the club.

“It will be built entirely from recycled wood by a local builder who is volunteering his time and will be filled with planters for a grape vine and edible climbers, plus insect loving plants and bird feeders. The wildlife veranda will be up by the end of summer.”

The club has previously won RHS Wisley’s Green Award for the most environmentally friendly garden and their scented stocks won a Silver Gilt medal in Chelsea in 2014. The grid community awards provide funds for projects that help the environment and wildlife on land that is in the vicinity of Wessex Water’s infrastructure engineering work on a new water supply grid.