PUPILS at two Wye Valley schools have been busy preparing their entry for one of Britain’s top gardening shows.

Around 160 pupils of St Briavels and Redbrook schools – which together make up the Wye Federation – came together for a special dy to make hundreds of elements for their garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Malvern Show in May.

They are hoping their entry based on the musical The Lion King will emulate last year’s fairy tales garden which won the Schools Challenge title.

The children started growing plants last autumn and have put more than 100 ideas for the garden onto paper.

They made elements such as animal heads and models of insects, drew African-inspired patterns and made planters.

They also visited St Briavels Congregational Church to work on the centrepiece of the garden, a stunning lion willow sculpture which will stand atop a piano which will have a waterfall coming out of the keyboard.

Retired St Briavels teacher Bernadette Kilty, who assists with the garden project, said the children were split into 10 groups for the day of activities.

She said: “The theme is the magic of music and the children chose Th Lion King so there is lots of African music and African-based patterns.

“Our garden is called The Circle of Life and is designed by the children.

“We have a very good friend who is a garden designer – Clare Viner – and she takes the children’s ideas and renders the final design.”

Ms Viner said she enjoyed working with the children.

She said: “They are very enthusiastic about the project and they come up with lots of very good designs for the garden.

Pupils from the schools will be at the show for each of the four days between May 9 and May 12 to explain the ideas that inspired the garden to visitors.

They will also help construct the garden, including wheelbarrowing the compost in which they will plant the flowers such as forget-me-nots, geum and grasses.

St Briavels first competed in 2018 with a garden based on the work of Forest steel pioneers the Mushets.