Firefighters, businesses and parents are digging deep to transform a derelict school pond into a hive of educational activity.

Pupils at Newport Primary School have just finished drawing up their designs of how they would like the pond to look. Additional features include benches, fruit bushes and the ability to study toads and newts.

Headteacher John Howett explained the vision. “We want to create a valuable resource for the school,” he said. “This will allow children to explore pondlife and learn more about the creatures living in it.

“The governors are keen to promote outdoor learning and this would be an aspect of that.

“It will teach children to respect nature and become an outdoor classroom.”

Aimee Franks and Debbie Mayo, from the Parent Forum, have been helping the school get the project off the ground.

“The pond hasn’t been used for a number of years and is in dire need of being refurbished,” said Aimee. “We’re hoping to get donations from businesses to help with the task so that we can open the pond in time for summer.”

Three youngsters visited Newport Business Association’s headquarters in the hope of garnering support from businesses in the area.

They pitched their ideas in a Dragons Den-style format to founder Jeremy Rose, who said: “We were delighted to have a presentation from three very articulate students from the school, showing their development plans for the area.

“NBA welcomes the involvement of local businesses and is delighted to announce members have already signed up to help with this excellent community initiative.”

Newport firefighters have already helped pump the water out of the pond. The next step of the transformation is to get timber decking, picket fencing, logs and wild flowers and plants.

The school is hoping the materials, along with pond dipping equipment and a small shed to keep it in, can be secured with the help of donations from local businesses.

Some of the businesses that have already pledged their support include Ridgeons, TKE Landscapes, Hilbery Turf, Carr and Bircher Skips Ltd, Aimee’s Cars, The Gardening Group, Tesco’s, Harrison Strachan, Q Lawns, Wilson Plant Hire and Tricia’s Face Painting.

For more information on how to help, either call the school on 01799 540055, Mr Rose on 01799 541114 or e-mail nba@c-lutions.co.uk.