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Garden for the blind wins gold medal for designer Tracy
By Hannah Postles GARDEN designer Tracy Foster from Leeds has won a gold medal at the Gardeners' World show in Birmingham for her revolutionary £3,000 seaside garden for the blind.
Tracy, of Gledhow Wood Grove, teamed up with the National Talking Newspapers and Magazines – a charity who record publications for the blind – to design the 'Sea Hear' garden, which won top prize in the small gardens category at the National Exhibition Centre show.
The professional gardener, who has a degree in Plant Biology and a diploma from the Institute of Garden Design, wanted to raise awareness for the charity and to show that people with restricted or no sight can get just as much enjoyment from a garden as anyone else.
"When I first started thinking about the show I was going to explore the theme of relaxation, so when the National Talking Newspapers and Magazines got involved I took things from there," she said.
"It has been a challenge but I wanted to create the relaxed feeling you get when you are on holiday on a beach, and at the same time, recreate the sounds, textures, the scents and even the taste that you get in a seaside garden."
The small garden, which is enclosed on two sides by sandcastle-like wall, is fronted by a shingle beach of shells, pebbles and driftwood that crunches undefoot. Aromatic herbs and seaside-smelling plants, including one which gives an oyster-like taste, were hand-picked and prepared by Tracy.
The garden enthusiast, who has worked professionally for four years, was helped by Leeds-based company Garden Concept and local artist Julie Pope.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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