Pupils at a Gwynedd primary school have transformed a £200 donation into a hands-on learning project that saw them design and build their own outdoor furniture.

Ysgol Borth-y-Gest, near Porthmadog, received the funding after winning an online competition run by Lock Stock Self Storage, which operates a site in the town.

Rather than using the money to buy ready-made benches and tables for the school’s popular forest school area, headteacher Nia Jones decided to give pupils the opportunity to create the furniture themselves while learning valuable practical skills.

The donation from Lock Stock, combined with additional support from the school’s Parent Teacher Association, funded the materials needed to build four benches and two tables. It also paid for a specialist woodworking workshop led by joiner Hefin Hughes, allowing pupils to take part in every stage of the project.

The children learned how to measure, mark, drill and assemble the furniture before helping install it in the school’s outdoor learning area.

Headteacher Nia Jones said the project was about far more than simply providing new furniture.

“I just thought this would be an opportunity to give the children another learning experience, rather than just buying the stuff,” she said.

“Because they have been part of the building of it, I think the children will look after the furniture a bit better and take more pride in it.

“This also allows the children to understand the process and the journey of how wood is used.

“The children loved taking part in the sessions to build the benches and tables. They have all been involved.

“They love taking part in everything to be honest. They are always enthusiastic about everything we throw at them and they always give their best.

“We are very grateful to Lock Stock Self Storage for the donation. We are delighted they have supported our little local school.”

Lock Stock regional manager Lee Hanson visited the school to watch the children in action and said he was impressed by their enthusiasm and teamwork.

“It’s a great idea to have the children take such an active part in creating the furniture,” he said.

“It gives the children a chance to learn new things and be really hands-on.

“Lock Stock is a company which is part of every community we serve and it’s lovely to see how this donation is being used to not only provide something for the school, but also create a new learning experience.

“Some of the children have never held a drill before and they have really enjoyed it and enjoyed getting stuck in.

“They can be very proud of how they have helped create something so useful for the school.”

The new benches and tables will be used during the school’s weekly forest school sessions, which take place on land next to the school and have become a favourite part of the week for many pupils.

Outdoor learning leader Erynne Watson, of Ysbrydoli Gan Natur (Inspired By Nature), said forest school activities offer children valuable opportunities to learn through nature and build confidence through practical experiences.

“Forest school principles are very much based on child-led learning in nature,” she said.

“It gives children opportunities to experience and measure their own risks. They get to be hands-on with tools, do woodcarving, woodland management, build dens and enjoy being outdoors.

“The benches will be placed around our fire circle, which is our main meeting point, and the tables will be fantastic for the children’s arts and crafts activities.”

Research has increasingly highlighted the benefits of outdoor learning, including improved wellbeing, confidence, resilience and teamwork. Forest school programmes have grown in popularity across Wales as schools seek to combine education with time spent outdoors.

Woodworking instructor Hefin Hughes, who runs workshops through his company Blagur Coed, praised the pupils’ efforts.

“It was a joy to be at the school and working with the children,” he said.

“They all showed some good skills in drilling, screwing, measuring and marking, and working as a team.

“It is great to see the tables and benches being used for the forest school. It’s what they are made for really, to be in the surroundings of the forest school.”

The pupils themselves were equally proud of the finished results.

Ten-year-old Oti said: “It was really good to build the tables and benches, especially because they will be used in our forest school.

“I really like forest school, especially the arts and crafts we do there. It’s good to be outside, it makes a change from being in the classroom.”

Aveline, 11, added: “I really liked helping build the benches and tables.

“I liked that we were able to use drills. I had never used a drill before, so it was good fun.

“I like forest school, especially because we are able to play with our friends out in nature.”

The donation is part of Lock Stock Self Storage’s ongoing commitment to supporting communities across North and Mid Wales. Founded in 2000, the Denbigh-based company now operates more than 35 storage parks, providing over 5,700 storage units and more than five million cubic feet of storage space across Wales, the border counties and north-west England.