Children at a King's Lynn school have been gaining hands-on experience by building their own play area, thanks to help from a town food producer and a local artist.

Around 20 volunteers from Mars Food UK's Lynn site in Hansa Road joined children at Fairstead Community Primary School to transform a 345sq m space in the grounds.

Lynn-based artist Nicola Marray-Woods said: 'I'm part of a project working with Mars Food. They allocate a team of volunteers to go to a primary school, and I facilitate that, working with the children to find out what they want to do.

'This new area at the school has some unique features. We are calling it a wild play area. It's all about getting a bit dirty. There's a water fountain in the shape of a tree stump with four sq m of soil around it.

'Children can use the underground pipes to divert the water flow and there are four drains.

'They can create a landscape with a river and a pond. There's also a den building area, where children can build their own real-life den, a bird watching hide, and a flagpole which raises a tent instead of a flagpole.

'For children, it's all about learning through doing. And it's fun –when we're having fun we tend to remember what we've done. And it's about using all your senses.'

Year five teacher Glen Rossiter said some children craved hands-on experience of working on such projects. 'They had an amazing time doing it,' he said.

The project is the fourth to have been completed by the programme so far this year, following schemes at Gaywood Primary, Whitefriars Academy and St Michael's Academy.

What unique features does your school have? Email david.bale2@archant.co.uk