Pupils urged to come up with a pocket garden
NIKI TENNANT
Environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has launched a nationwide search for pupils to participate in the fifth annual Pocket Garden Competition.
The contest challenges children to design a garden which could feature as part of a major display at Gardening Scotland this summer.
Schools in the Rutherglen area are being encouraged to take part and develop designs for a garden which reflects one of the 2020 themes, which include: Wildlife Gardening, One Planet Picnic, Keep Scotland Beautiful’s 20th birthday or the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.
The competition asks pupils to create exciting and unusual designs that use plants that attract wildlife, edible plants, and those that reuse something which would otherwise have been thrown away.
Eve Keepax, food and environment officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Our annual Pocket Garden Competition is a practical and fun way for pupils to learn about food, the environment and biodiversity, as well as developing their creative design skills.
“Now in its fifth year, the competition has inspired schools from 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas to take part. We have seen schools produce fantastic designs full of clever surprises with innovative ideas. I hope that many more young people will participate this year.”
By taking part, children are challenged to consider and learn about the environment in a fun, hands-on and informal manner.
Participants this year can celebrate the Year of Coasts and Waters, sharing local stories about water, its folklore, history and power.
They can also help celebrate Keep Scotland Beautiful’s 20th birthday and think about how they can keep Scotland beautiful for the next two decades.
Schools in Rutherglen and the surrounding area are invited to submit their entries no later than March 11.
Further information can be found at: www. keepscotlandbeautiful. org/pocketgarden.