Three apple trees have been planted in the foreground of Holloway School at the request of a “model student”.

The trees, which were a gift from Year 11 student Erjola Noka, were planted in a ceremony attended by the Headteacher John Dixon, members of staff, as well as the Chair of Governors and other members of the school’s governing body last Friday.

Erjola purchased the trees with money that she received after winning the Jack Petchey Award for her “extraordinary determination and progress” since joining the school in January 2015 after moving from Albania. She arrived unaccompanied in the UK speaking very little English.

She was given £200 to spend for the benefit of the school and decided to spend half the money on library books and the rest on the apple trees, which, she says, remind her of her homeland.

The trees were planted by members of the school’s gardening club.

Headteacher, John Dixon said, “Erjola is a model student who attends school every day with a positive attitude, well-prepared for learning. As soon as she received the Jack Petchey Award, her focus was to use the money to benefit the wider school community.

“I am very proud to be leading such a true ‘community school’.”