Pictured above: Hayley Scott-Priest, of whg, with St Francis school pupils Aaron Lester aged nine, Callum Lee, eight, and Erin Carr, nine

Pupils swapped their classroom for the great outdoors when they rolled up their sleeves to give nature a helping hand.

Walsall Housing Group (whg) invited pupils at St Francis Catholic Primary in Shelfield to build bird feeders and plant flowers to celebrate World Environment Day.

Hayley Scott-Priest, of whg's Aldridge & Brownhills Estate Management Team, visited the school to talk to children, aged eight and nine, about enjoying and respecting nature.

She challenged the pupils to create bird feeders and will present the three most creative with a prize before the end of summer term.

The green-fingered youngsters then enjoyed a trip to nearby Autumn Close where they planted petunias, marigolds, busy lizzies and geranium supplied by the community.

whg, one of the Midlands' leading housing providers, donated £200 to Autumn Close Tenants and Residents Association to buy the flowers.  Association chair Margaret Hayes and whg's Hayley were on hand to oversee the gardening.

Margaret, also chair of whg's Aldridge & Brownhills Local Committee, said: "They were lovely children and very well behaved. They are very welcome to come back to anytime to see the results of their handiwork."

She and other residents provided refreshments for the young visitors in whg's Autumn Close community room. The children then hung the birds feeders in the trees at Autumn Close and in High Heath Park, courtesy of Friends of High Heath Park.

Hayley said: "We had a fantastic time working with St Francis school children and the residents of Autumn Close. It was absolutely wonderful to see the generations working so happily together on such a positive and practical project."