Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for Climate Change visited One Planet Picnic Pocket Garden entries at Gardening Scotland Show.
Young Reporters from Grove Academy had the opportunity to explain to the Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham MSP, how they had achieved a winning design. They then interviewed her about her recent appointment to the Government, with responsibility for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.
Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) invited Eco-Schools from across Scotland to design a colourful and exciting pocket sized garden using plants that can be eaten and attract biodiversity, and reuse materials which would otherwise have been thrown away. There were 80 entries from across Scotland judged by members of the Garden for Life Forum.
The 18 winning designs of nursery and school pupils who entered the first nationwide One Planet Picnic Pocket Garden competition sprung to life to create the Living Garden at Gardening Scotland - the first time that the area has not been designed by a professional gardener.
Eve Keepax, Food and Environment Officer, KSB, said: “We are delighted that schools had the opportunity to participate. It is exciting to have received so many high quality designs from right across the length and breadth of Scotland and is wonderful to see them come to life at Gardening Scotland.”
Deborah Long, Chair of the Garden for Life Forum, KSB, added: “The Garden for Life Forum members have been delighted by the enthusiasm schools across Scotland have shown for the One Planet Picnic Pocket Garden Design Challenge.”
The pocket gardens in The Living Garden were highlighted on the BBC TV show Beechgrove Garden on 3 June. The show is in the top three most popular TV programmes in Scotland. Young Reporters from Lomond School turned the tables on veteran horticulture guru Jim McColl who has presented the show for a record 38 years. Their interview of Jim was filmed by the BBC.
After the show the organisers confirmed that this year the number of young visitors to Gardening Scotland had doubled.
(story provided by Keep Scotland Beautiful)