Schoolchildren have teamed up with residents at a nearby retirement housing complex to create a sunny celebratory garden.
Pupils at St Mary’s Primary in Cumbernauld are creating a special flowerbed in the shape of a 50 at Campsie Gardens to mark the golden anniversary of site operator Bield.
The 125 youngsters, teachers and residents have all planted sunflowers in containers made from recycled magazines collected by the tenants.
And now they are eagerly waiting to see which will win their contest for the tallest when the new school term gets underway next month.
Development manager Margaret McCallum told Lanarkshire Live : “When we were thinking of ways to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we realised all of our customers adore gardening.
“RHS which has fantastic opportunities for community groups to apply for donations, which enabled us to get the school involved – something we always wanted to do due to our existing relationship.
“Our customers love talking to the kids, and the pupils are fascinated by some of the stories they have to share; and the recent visits have been made even more special after so many months of limited interaction.”
Sunflowers were donated by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to mark the occasion, and pupils visited the garden in their year groups last term to plant the anniversary blooms.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the St Mary’s pupils would regularly visit Campsie Gardens to spend time with its residents, and have continued sending in letters and pictures during recent months.
Margaret added: “We expect some friendly competition between the pupils and our customers, and it will be an exciting day when we find out who came out on top.”
St Mary’s head teacher Paula Brazill said: “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege for our school to have developed an immensely rewarding partnership with Bield over the last few years.
“Our pupils love visiting and the joy on the residents’ faces gives them such delight; we’ve shared digital skills, stories, poems, songs and shows, and are now supporting the garden development which marks their 50th birthday.
“All of our pupils have been involved, and both our school community and the wider community have been enriched by this partnership which I hope will continue to grow in the future.”
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