Pupils from a West Lothian school have won first place in a public vote for a garden design that they dedicated to the memory of a former pupil.
Moore House School in Bathgate won the seventh annual ‘Pocket Garden Design Competition’, run by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Moore House Academy pupils created a garden dedicated to the memory of a fellow student, Amber Niven, who lost her life in Hamilton at the end of last year at the age of just 16.
The garden is designed to portray a powerful retelling of ‘Alice in Wonderland -’ entitled ‘Amber in Wonderland’ in memory of their classmate.
The garden, created entirely from recycled objects and edible plants, is built around the main feature - a stunning water sculpture created by Amber for her National 4 Art and Design course.
It also includes a moving bird feeder made by pupils from bicycle parts and upcycled china, and a bug-house to welcome birds and insects.
A sunflower represents Amber, described by the school as ‘a gorgeous sunflower’.
Soldiers guarding the garden are armed with make-up brushes to represent Amber’s success in getting accepted into college to study make-up the week before her tragic loss.
Moore House Academy Head Teacher, Alison Williams, said: “Working together as a team was a valuable part of the project and every young person contributed in making ceramics for the decoration, the construction of all the elements, and also the ideas and inspirations, with Amber at the heart.
“We intend to develop the ideas and the garden into an established memorial to Amber which will become a ‘chill’ area for reflection and a bit of peace.
“The main water sculpture was a labour of love and became a running joke of ‘Mushroom-gate’ in the school, as Amber was not always friends with the making process, but she saw it through to the end and was so proud of the result.
“The whole garden means a lot to the young folk. Some of our young people have never had the experience of growing plants or having a garden.
“This helped the young people and gave them a focus after the pandemic and the loss of our dear Amber.
“It has been great for their personal wellbeing and outlook on nature as a whole.”
The Amber in Wonderland garden was chosen from a pool of 340 entries across Scotland, earning its place in a digital showcase.
Over 15,000 Scots voted on their favourite pocket garden, with Moore House Academy taking home first place for their memorial garden.
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