PUPILS at Kilpatrick School have won a nationwide competition after designing their own garden. 

The school will now bring their creations to life for display at the Gardening Scotland exhibition in Edinburgh in June. 

Schools from across Scotland were invited to enter the competition, now in its third year, which saw pupils encouraged to develop designs for a garden that reflects the 2018 theme of the UN’s sustainable development goals.

They were encouraged to use plants that can be eaten and attract biodiversity, and reuse materials which would otherwise be thrown away.

With entries from 24 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, Kilpatrick School has been selected to plant and grow their winning design, which will ultimately form part of the Garden for Life area at the 2018 Gardening Scotland exhibition.

Teachers Shona Torbet and Campbell Lloyd worked with students on the learning for sustainability committee and the marketing team to create an idea and figure out how to fit the design on to a pallet. 

The pupils’ theme for the project was Zero Hunger, focusing on the Global Goals for a better world by 2030. 

They grew a number of different foods, such as raspberries, strawberries, beans and oats and even matched the design with their school crest. 

Ms Torbet said: “We wanted to do our garden all about food. We have added crystals to our design because when the light shines through them we’ll have a rainbow, and we have a rainbow in our school badge.

“We are going to make our own scarecrow. We will put a Zero Hunger t-shirt on him. 

“I think it’s really nice to see what they came up with. It’s an opportunity to look at what we are doing with the goals, with something that you can actually make.”

As part of the Eco-Schools programme, the competition aims to encourage children’s awareness, skills and understanding of food and the environment in a fun, hands-on and informal manner. 

The winning schools were selected by representatives from Keep Scotland Beautiful, the Garden for Life Forum, Gardening Scotland and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations which leads Scotland’s Sustainable Development Goals Network.

Eve Keepax, food and environment officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “For the third year running, we have been so excited by the diverse and inspiring entries to our annual One Planet Picnic Pocket Garden Design Competition, and everyone’s interpretation of this year’s new theme - the UN Global Goals.

“This competition is a practical yet fun way to learn about growing food sustainably, and why it is important to them. We look forward to working with the pupils from Kilpatrick School and seeing their designs create The Garden for Life.”

In total 22 finalists from across 15 local authority areas were selected for their innovative, sustainable and deliverable designs which will all be transformed into the Garden for Life at Gardening Scotland. 

Three final winners will be selected at Gardening Scotland from the display in categories, such as ‘best garden for wildlife’, ‘best garden for One Planet Picnic theme’ and ‘best garden for Global Goals theme’.

Jenna Lowe, Gardening Scotland, added: “It’s inspiring to see all these fantastic schools participating in this competition, coming up with wonderful and thoughtful garden designs which have real standing within the UN Global Goals. I can’t wait to see all these gardens in the flesh at Gardening Scotland this year.”