Hampshire builders merchant Elliotts attended the opening of a new garden at Fordingbridge Junior School.

The garden was designed by the students for the Elliotts School Competition 2016 and fought off tough competition from across Hampshire to win first place and see their design brought to life.

Schools from all over the South entered the competition and were asked to submit a design showing how they would like Elliotts to help transform a patch of land on their site, with a written appeal stating why the new area would make all the difference to their school.

The finished garden features a sensory pathway with textures, bumps in the path and beds soon to be filled with herbs and fragrant plants.

The school will also be adding musical instruments and wind chimes to the garden to give the children a full sensory experience.

Elliotts” sales director Paul Cleary, said: “It’s brilliant to see the finished garden, and we’re really happy to have been able to fund and supply materials for this project.

“It’s been a privilege to work with the wonderful bright young minds from Fordingbridge Junior School and we’d also like to thank New Forest Landscaping for doing such an excellent job of realising the winning design. From us at Elliotts, to the landscaping team and the school, this is a project everyone should feel proud of.”

The new outdoor space was officially opened by the Mayor of Fordingbridge, Malcolm Connolly who said: “I’ve had the pleasure of opening many sensory gardens and this is by far one of the best ones yet.”