GREEN-FINGERED primary school pupils from West Fife helped create an historic new orchard in Valleyfield on Monday.

A total of 279 youngsters from Torryburn, Saline, Inzievar, St Serfs, Tulliallan, Culross and Holy Name primaries helped plant fruit trees as part of a community project in Valleyfield Woodland Park.

Created by the West Fife Woodlands (WFW) Community Group, work to transform some of the original Valleyfield Estate kitchen garden is part of a project by the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative (IFLI), to reveal the hidden cultural, historical and natural wealth of the upper reaches of the Firth of Forth, restore and conserve important features and open up access.

Eager pupils teamed up with volunteers from WFW, which was set up 10 years ago to restore, revive and protect woodland areas around West Fife, plant the new trees – some of which are heritage varieties – that will number more than 180 when the planting is completed next Wednesday.

The event was part of an IFLI project called the Valleyfield Estate Community Orchard, which WFW are leading on.

In the last 18 months, they have been clearing the overgrown site of scrub, planting new hedges, installing fences to keep out deer, and reseeding the area with wildflowers following funding through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Fife Environment Trust and Awards for All.

A mix of varieties, including apple, pear, cherry, plum, damson and hazelnut trees have been planted and members of the public will benefit from the hard work of school pupils and volunteers alike as the fruit will be free for anyone in the community to pick when grown.

A record of the names of pupils and schools that took part in the tree-planting will be kept, while the youngsters were also given a special snowdrop tour of the woodlands, which are now in full bloom.

IFL is a partnership of eight organisations, including RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Sustrans, and is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.