HORTICULTURIST and 80s popstar Kim Wilde opened a sensory garden at Pinewood School in Ware, designed for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and additional sensory needs.

HORTICULTURIST and 80s popstar Kim Wilde opened a sensory garden at Pinewood School in Ware, designed for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and additional sensory needs. Kim, who attended nearby Presdales School, opened the garden designed by local artist Sarah Rintoul and built by local contractor VolkerFitzpatrick as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.Kim said, ‘After spending the last ten years as a horticulturist it is so lovely to open such a fantastic garden. It definitely receives a gold medal from me, as it would if we were at Chelsea Flower Show.’The sensory garden was designed in close consultationwith pupils, staff and parents to provide an interactive, outdoor, sensory experience.It features three tactile, reflective, light and shade, and eco sculptures, mosaic steps, patterns and treds, a relaxing hammock area and a seated hill feature designed to help pupils fully appreciate the plants and wildlife in the garden.Carpentry and brickwork students from Hertford Regional College’s CET department made timber drawer units and built a raised miniature garden to add to the features of the sensory garden.