A chance meeting of dachshunds will bring benefits to clients of a local charity.
 
Owners of this distinctive little breed tend to stop and chat when they bump into each other on a dog walk.
 
And so it was when Wells student Emma Skipper met Heads Up service director Bridget Harvey, who told her fellow dachshund owner all about the charity’s good work.
 
Ms Skipper was inspired and told her fellow students taking their Royal Horticultural Society Level 2 course at Bridgwater and Taunton College all about Heads Up.
 
The students are entering a show garden in a competition at the Royal Bath & West Show, which starts on May 30, and decided to donate the garden to Heads Up at South Horrington after the event so it will keep giving back to the community. 
 
Ms Skipper said: “Our brief from the show was to design a sensory garden, and we know how important each of our senses are for maintaining mental health. 
 
“Our team were adamant that we wanted our garden to live on long after the show, so what better way to ensure that than to collaborate with the brilliant mental health charity, Heads Up. 

"With this partnership, we can ensure the garden continues to provide a space of solitude and calm to those that need it most, well into the future.

Somerset County Gazette:
 
“Called the 5,4,3,2,1 Garden, every element from the vibrant flowers and foliage to the textured and sustainable landscaping choices, has been chosen to engage and calm the five senses - whether that’s touch, taste, sight, hearing or smell. 

"Our aim is to invite visitors to take a moment and put their worries aside, focusing on their senses to calm them as they connect with the natural world.”
 
The college provided £400 for the garden and the students crowdfunded a further £1,000 so they could buy better quality plants.
 
Ms  Harvey added: “We are deeply grateful to the students for this amazing project. 

"So many people will have the opportunity to see this beautiful garden which will be placed at the front of our building".