AN allotment in Oldbury has been officially 'branded' by staff and pupils from Perryfields Primary School following a competition to come up with a winning logo and tag line for the community project.

The site, in Lewis Road, held an open day for parents where the pupils with winning designs were awarded.

Eight-year-old Ellie-Mae Daley came up with the ‘Dig It’ logo to accompany six-year-old Maddison Bryan’s title of ‘Brandhall Allotments – Give it a Grow’. They both received a plaque bearing their names which were planted beneath a pear tree and an apple tree in pride of place.

The allotment is the brainchild of police community support officers John McNally and Nicola Harrison from the Old Warley neighbourhood policing team, who spotted the overgrown plot and approached Perryfields School to see if they were interested in developing the land to encourage the children to grown their own fruit and vegetables.

PCSO McNally said: “It took a while to arrange. We had to obtain funding for the nominal rent to the council for the land and then there were a lot of health and safety implications to consider around children and garden tools, but we were determined to make a success of the project.

"The owners of the surrounding allotments have taken a real interest and helped the children a lot. It’s a fantastic way of getting different age groups together.”

Perryfields School asked children to apply to work on the allotment and a small team of pupils started work to help clear the ground in September 2009.

Planting began in April 2010 under the supervision of sessional worker Tess Price, with beans, Chinese onions, fruit trees, raspberries and strawberries being among the first to be grown. The children will take the produce back to school to encourage healthy eating.

Funding has been provided locally from Co-op, McDonalds, Redrow Homes and Sandwell Council. A local builder was so impressed with the project that he has built some raised beds on the site to help people with disabilities with planting.

West Bromwich Albion is the latest organisation to come on board with children involved in their community schemes lending a hand on the allotment.