Children at Seabridge Primary were determined to transform their overgrown school quadrangle into a tranquil memory garden to pay personal tribute to relatives, friends and pets they have lost.

 And when PM Training, a local social enterprise that tackles worklessness among young people, heard about the project everyone was keen to help it grow.

 Tutor Glyn Jones said: “The pupils were really driven and had already made small-scale model designs of the garden. They just needed support to get the project off the ground and that’s where PM Training got involved.”

 PM Training, part of the Aspire Group, invited pupils to visit its workshop in College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, where they spent time with tutors and learners who deliver services in gardening, landscaping and public art, including sculptures.

 Seventeen-year-old apprentice Steve Ellis, from Abbey Hulton, led the project.

 “We were really impressed with the quality of ideas, plans and in particular the garden features that the children brought over and couldn’t wait to get going,” he said.

 “First we had to put it into scale before beginning on site. It was a real team effort with pupils, teachers and even parents getting involved to put the finishing touches to the garden.”

 Highlights of the impressive design include a water feature, two mosaics – one in the shape of a heart and the other a dove, steel sculpted sunflowers and poppies, and a bench where pupils can sit quietly to remember their loved ones.

 Sandra Mitchell, head teacher at Seabridge Primary School, said: “It is amazing how quickly this project was turned around.

 “It is a fantastic achievement for all involved and really reflects the original idea and many elements of the design work. We are all delighted with the end result.”

 The £10,000 project, which was funded by the Realise Foundation, part of the Aspire Group, took six weeks to complete.