A SPECIAL outdoor party was held at Gretna Primary School and Nursery to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Almost 370 school and nursery pupils, together with family members, enjoyed dry bright weather and participated in a picnic and games on the sports field.
During the afternoon, the Lord Lieutenant for Dumfries, Fiona Armstrong, was joined by staff and pupils to plant an apple tree to mark the monarch’s remarkable 70 years on the throne.
The tree was part of The Queen’s Green Canopy Platinum Jubilee planting project.
Meanwhile, the Lord Lieutenant also officially opened a new nursery garden and later a bug hotel, made of old wooden pallets, which provided a natural habitat for insects and was named by pupils as ‘Bugingham Palace.’ The pupils were also joined by Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell, the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education.
Mr Mundell said: “It is fantastic that the children were expanding their knowledge of the monarchy through this event and about the contribution of The Queen during such a lengthy period of public service.
“I was also impressed by the imaginative examples of outdoor education which the children were embracing and learning.
“They were clearly enjoying themselves which is fantastic after what have been two difficult years because of the pandemic, particularly challenging for some of our young people.”
