COMMUNITY spirit has helped a Lickey school win vital cash to patch-up their flooded playing field, which has been so boggy children have not been able to play on it.

Children at Lickey Hills Primary School and Nursery were unable to use the three-acre pitch due to a natural spring which leaves it flooded for large parts of the year.

The school appealed for the public’s support after they were shortlisted in the Tesco Bags of Help scheme to win a grant of £5,000, which would help them install vital drainage.

And they have now secured enough votes to help them bag the cash.

Julie Phillips, school business manager, said: "We are delighted that our project received the most votes across the local participating Tesco stores.

“We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted. We could not have achieved this without the support of the local community.

“We are hoping work will beginning during the May half term break."

The Tesco scheme, in conjunction with Groundwork, sees grants of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – awarded to outdoor community projects.

Voting ran in stores throughout the region with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the check-out.

The school was desperate to beat two other projects to win the top grant, as second and third place prizes were not enough to fund a permanent solution to the issue.

Lindsey Crompton, Tesco's head of community, said: "Bags of Help has been a fantastic success. We've been overwhelmed by the response from our customers.

“The great thing about Bags of Help is that local people are invited to decide how the money will be spent in their community. We can't wait to see the projects come to life."