A HARVEST festival held by two Portland schools has had the children cooking up a storm for their families.

Underhill Junior School and Brackenbury Infant School have given a funding boost to the island’s Revive community project by using produce, donated by the island’s Tesco superstore, to create tasty goodies that were sold to pupils, parents and families.

All funds raised from the harvest festival have been given towards a Revive project to grow flowers from seed all through Fortuneswell, ready for the 2012 Olympics.

Chesil Cove Federation school council representative Jade Anderson presented a the £53 cheque to Revive representative Yvonne Beven.

The Harvest Festival proceeds will be used to boost a planting project that will see pupils work with Revive volunteers to grow plants and flowers from seed to create a colourful display around Fortuneswell.

Revive’s Yvonne said: “The schools were really keen to get involved with helping us with the planters.

“They chose to donate the money from their harvest festival to Revive, which is really nice.”

After the presentation, pupils met with Revive, new Portland Team Rector the Rev Tim Gomm and the manager from Pennsylvania Castle, Jo Peters, to discuss another community project.

In December, pupils from Underhill Junior School and Brackenbury Infant School are to bring back an old Underhill tradition of school children making decorations to hang on a 10ft Christmas tree which this year will be sponsored by the new owner of Pensylvania Castle, Chris Morris, as well as the lights.

The tree is to be displayed in Fortunesell outside Wren Court.

The group met to discuss the details and the possibility of a lighting up ceremony one evening in December.

Revive are linking closely with the Chesil Cove Federation in two other community projects – creating a bog garden in Fortuneswell and decorating an area with art work described as Portland funky fossils.