Cloud Gardener to transform school's roof playground

Nestled between high-rise apartment blocks in Manchester is a primary school, the first to be built in the city-centre in more than 20 years.

Crown Street Primary School opened in September 2024 to meet demand from the growing number of families moving to the city-centre.

Now the school has called on the help of Jason Williams, otherwise known as the Cloud Gardener, to create a green space for its pupils to enjoy.

"We really want our children to get their hands dirty and be part of it," said head Helena Thompson. "The fact that we're growing this school from scratch, we can also grow our garden from scratch as well and the children can be part of that."

The children's designs will be at the Manchester Flower Festival before the community brings them to life on the school roof.

Jason Williams has become quite the name in the gardening world in recent years after transforming his 18th floor apartment balcony in the Deansgate area of the city into a thriving urban garden.

As part of the National Trust's Sky Gardening Challenge, an initiative to encourage more small-space gardening nationwide, Jason is designing the primary school's roof garden.

Pupils have already enjoyed lessons with Jason in which he has taught them how to plant and sow seeds.

Six-year-old Atticus said he was looking forward to helping after already growing strawberries with his grandparents while Andrew, also aged six, said he was "excited to have flowers on the roof".

Jason said: "For so many of these children, they don't have gardens, they live in apartments like I do.

"For some, when I go to schools, they don't necessarily know where food comes from.

"You ask them where a tomato comes from and they'll tell you 'a supermarket'.

"Not only are we going to be growing lots of flowers, we're going to grow food too - it's a very blank canvas.

"One of things I'm looking forward to is incorporating edibles including spinach, cucumber and melons and they can give it to the kitchen staff here."

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