After reading about the damage caused to more than 30 trees planted by the Eco Group at Torbain Primary School, a local man pledged six trees from his own garden, Fife Council gave £750 of community planning money and staff at Craigencalt Ecology Centre in Kinghorn also promised the youngsters more trees from their stocks, as well as help to plant them.

This week the pupils contacted the Press to say a big thank you to everyone who had contacted them.

"Mr Drummond from Templehall Avenue phoned the school within hours of reading the story in the Press, offering us trees from his garden," said 11-year-old Gemma Thomson.

"He brought them round to the school and we planted them on Tuesday. Then the people from Craigencalt who helped us plant the first lot of trees which the vandals broke called to say they would give us more trees to replant.

"On Tuesday the Council phoned to say they were giving us money to buy more trees after the local councillor Carol Lindsay read the story in The Fife Free Press.

"Everyone has been very kind to us and we just want to thank them very much for all their help. We were upset when the first trees were destroyed, and hopefully these ones will be left alone to grow and help us to get our Green Flag for the Schools Eco Awards."

The original saplings were planted at the school during the late autumn last year, but over the next few months they were gradually pulled up and destroyed by mindless vandals, leaving only a few hardy shoots remaining.

Miss Michelle Ward, the teacher in charge of the school's Eco Group, said: "The response to our appeal has been fantastic and we are delighted with the offers of help we have received.

"It all happened within hours of the Press coming out and people reading the story, so we are very grateful to everyone involved.

"We still have bushes donated to us from the Woodlands Trust, and these will be planted at the same time.

"The youngsters are putting a lot of hard work into this project to help make Torbain an eco-friendly school for everyone to enjoy, and we can only hope that these will be given the chance to grow in peace."