A CHARITY is taking part in a summer programme in Maldon and Braintree to help children build a love for gardening.

Abberton Rural Training (ART) is taking part in the Essex ActivAte summer programme to provide gardening activities for free to children aged five to 12 who have special educational needs and those who receive free school meals.

Gardening activities will be taking place at the Museum of Power in Langford, near Maldon, and a range of countryside and environment activities will take place at Great Notley Country Park in Braintree.

The summer growing kits were funded by the Maldon District Council and the Emporium garden centre in Maldon provided all the charity needed for the activities at cost.

This is not the first time the Emporium has supported ART, having helped with the Grow Your Own initiative in 2020.

The charity took to their Facebook to thank the district council and the garden centre.

It said: “The kits will be handed out to the children taking part in summer activities so they can take what they have learned and continue to grow at home.”

The sessions will run from July 26 to August 25.

ART received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021.

Essex ActivAte is a programme run by Active Essex across the county to support the physical and mental wellbeing of primary and secondary school children through a wide range of face to face and virtual activities.

The programme is run on behalf of the Department for Education and Essex County Council.

For more information on the activities, and to book your child’s sessions, visit https://bit.ly/2UUfjjN

For more about the Essex ActivAte programme, see the Active Essex site.