CHILDREN showed their love of the outdoors when judges visited their schools for the Witney Schools in Bloom competition.

Two Witney town councillors and two members of the Rotary Club of Witney visited four schools to judge how well each has spent £350 of council money on developing an outdoor project.

Pupils at West Witney Primary School showed off their greenhouse where they are planting leeks, cultivating lettuce, beetroot, spinach and kale, a forest area and a sensory garden.

At Tower Hill School pupils had created a turf sofa and helped cultivate a garden courtyard.

The competition sees 12 schools compete for a special trophy.

Town mayor Jim King, who accompanied the judges, said: “If we can get them looking after the environment in schools then it will transpose itself when they become teenagers and they are out and about in Witney.”

Year six teacher at West Witney school, Emma Hollis, said: “It gets them enthusiastic for the outdoors.”

Witney pupil Emily Hoare, 12, said: “We get to do lots of things like seeding and potting and planting, it’s really fun.”

West Witney Primary School won first prize in the competition. Queen Emma’s Primary and The Blake CE School were joint runners-up.