Visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show would have seen that one of the show gardens had been created for the Motor Neurone Disease Association; it had a Shetland connection.
The Shetland link stems from Martin Anderson, co-founder of the MNDA, who is a regular visitor to Shetland and has a great affection for the islands and their people. The Association has had show gardens before, with a Shetland-themed garden winning a gold medal in 2008.
This year, the cottage that formed the backdrop to the garden was modelled on a Hebridean 'black house' but the stone for it came all the way from Shetland, transported there by Alan Smiles, a dyker from Yell, and constructed by Alan and his son Karl. Their efforts were clearly appreciated, because the garden, designed by Nottingham Trent University student Jackie Setchfield, picked up another gold medal.