A REMARKABLE pupil has scooped her primary school the top prize in a competition to design a school garden, beating thousands of designs from 45 primary schools.
A REMARKABLE pupil has scooped her primary school the top prize in a competition to design a school garden, beating thousands of designs from 45 primary schools.
Green-fingered Danielle Hall's success is made more remarkable by the fact that a severe allergic reaction to one plant two years ago, meant she was admitted to West Suffolk hospital for emergency treatment. Despite being wary of touching unfamiliar plants, she has now developed a flair for garden design.
Danielle's design makes Abbot's Hall Community Primary School, Stowmarket, the Suffolk winner in the 'Bright Ideas for Your School Garden' competition organised as part of the 'East of England - space for ideas' campaign which is promoting the East of England as the UK's 'ideas' region.
Jackman's Blue has blue/green foliage and Danielle had been helping in a garden when she suffered a severe reaction to the plant and needed to be given adrenaline at the hospital to help her recover and suffered with huge blisters afterwards.
Danielle's design makes Abbot's Hall primary school the Suffolk winner in the "Bright Ideas for Your School Garden" competition organised as part of the "East of England - space for ideas" campaign which is promoting the East of England as the UK's ideas region.
Her garden design was in the shape of a windmill to reflect the school logo and included a water fountain to remember the chairman of the school governing body, the town's United Reformed Church minister the Rev John Pugh, who died last year.
Stowmarket youngster Danielle, nine, said: "I am really pleased, it was hard work. I wanted to do something for the whole school, so I made different areas for different years.
"For the reception and year one (pupils) there is a play house and some wild flowers, for year two a bench and some flowers, for year three a rockery garden and for the older ones a vegetable garden.''
Her mother Rosie said: "She has done really well, she got top prize and has wanted to do something for all the children to use, all ages, and make a garden to remember people.''
Edward Hepper, deputy headteacher and Danielle's teacher, said the school is delighted and very proud of their budding green-fingered student.
He said: "The school loves art and we try and enter competitions which will stretch our children. She has got real creative ability in this area, we thought her design was fantastic.''
The nine-year-old budding designer wins the school a wooden rose arch and two climbing roses.
Fei-Ni Toole, Suffolk partnership manager for the East of England Development Agency which organised the competition, said: "Danielle has been creative and highly innovative in thinking through various features of the garden to appeal to each school year, from a wild flower garden and playhouse for the infants to a vegetable and herb garden for older children.
"She has shown the kind of bright ideas that we think make the East of England special."
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