Green-fingered students from Moray College have put their horticultural skills to good use by brightening up the gardens at a local care home.
The group of community-minded youngsters took part in a special project at Anderson’s home in Elgin and built 11 raised planting beds which have now been dotted around its allotment garden.
The beds will be used to produce fruit and vegetables, and one of them has been dedicated to Anderson’s residents for use during their regular gardening club meetings.
Home manager at Anderson’s, Kathy McGrath-Gunn, said the initiative would enhance the lives of its elderly patrons and praised the scheme for “bridging the generational gap”.
She said: “The students have given so much to enrich the lives of our residents who make their weekly visit to their gardening plot.
“This project is bridging the generational gap between the young and old.”
The students hope that one bed, which has been reserved for an Elgin children’s outfit, will inspire a new generation of budding gardeners.
They have named the container “The Darling Buds of Moray” and offered it to the VIP Moray childcare group.
The organisation’s deputy manager, Katie Ralph, said the children were eager to learn how to grow their own greens.
The students will also educate the pre-school tots on where food comes from and the importance of healthy eating.
Moray College lecturer Juliet Govier said the venture could bring her students an employment boost.
She said: “Community projects like this open up opportunities for our students to explore potential career paths, and gives them hands-on experience to develop their professional skills.”
