PUPILS are set to go greener after receiving a big boost from generous residents with warm homes.

A cheque for £1,488 has been shared out between Swindon Academy and Gorse Hill Infants and Junior schools after residents donated money as part of a council project in Gorse Hill and Pinehurst.

The scheme, known at the Warm Zone project, encouraged residents to have doorstep assessments to identify whether their homes needed insulating in exchange for a £1 donation to the school of their choice.

The schools can decide how they spend their money but they must use it on an environmental project.

Gorse Hill Junior School’s eco-co-ordinator, Jenny Laird, said: “We are planning to use the money for our new wildlife area, pond and allotments.

“We had already planned the project and the money will be a really big help towards it. I have had the plans up for a while so the children were really excited to hear it was going ahead.”

The infant school was given £623 and the junior school was given £423, which they will be combining because the school is merging in September.

Work on the project is expected to start in April.

“We have got very few green spaces in our school so it’s nice to have an outdoor learning environment,” said Jenny.

One of the school’s eco-councillors, Charlotte, nine, said they were excited about the project.

“We are going to improve the pond which has lots of algae in it and we are having a pond-dipping platform,” she said.

Swindon Academy received £433 and eco co-ordinator Emma Chapman said they would use it to continue their vegetable growing project.

They are also thinking about creating an outside area and a pond.

“The children have come up with their own ideas,”said Emma.

“They are very enthusiastic about the environment, They tell you off if you put paper in the wrong bin.”