YOUNGSTERS at St Mary’s Primary School in Kingswinford braved the downpours to celebrate the official opening of their new jubilee garden.

The school has turned a disused and overgrown piece of land into a eco area/woodland classroom with a pond, benches, artwork, a bird hide and a bird cam thanks to a £5,000 lottery grant from Awards for All.

Dignitaries including the Mayor of Dudley - councillor Melvyn Mottram - and his wife Michelle, the Mayoress, attended the somewhat soggy opening event on Friday July 6, along with former Mayor - Kingswinford councillor Peter Miller - and Ann Mundy, Worcester Diocese’s director of education.

Headteacher Linda Perkins however said: “There was a sea of umbrellas in the orchard but it was absolutely lovely; the weather did not spoil a single thing.”

Children also buried a time capsule in the garden so future generations who may unearth it will be able to find out about school days and life in 2012.