A ‘Cyber Crime’ show garden designed and built by BSc (Hons) Landscape Architecture undergraduates from University Centre Reaseheath is sowing the seeds of online safety to visitors at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (Stand 303, until Sunday July 21).

The garden, commissioned by Cheshire Constabulary and sponsored by Barclays, highlights the importance of staying safe online and features the Constabulary’s 5Cs Guide to Online Safety (Create, Cover, Confidentiality, Click, Connect). It has been awarded a silver medal and featured in the BBC’s coverage of the flower show on Thursday, with presenter Adam Frost describing the planting as ‘inspiring’ and ‘full of ideas to take home’.

Cyber crime accounts for 48 per cent of all recorded crime and is one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK. The planting in the garden reflects this, with lighter shades showing the steps people need to take to avoid falling victim to cyber crime and the darker shades depicting the criminal aspect. Each of the 5C icons is depicted on a bespoke weathered steel panel and the flowers and foliage are selected to reflect and enhance each of the 5C icon colours.

The design and build team of Jake Jackson, Katie Monton, Nathan Webster and Brad Howarth, led by Steve Williams Course Manager in Landscape Design and Construction, also won silver last year at RHS Tatton with ‘A Path to the Future’, a college garden showcasing modern and future trends.

Jake Jackson said: “Building a show garden for RHS Tatton is a unique experience and a very special opportunity which I don’t think we’d get anywhere else other than at University Centre Reaseheath. It’s the hands-on experience which stands out for me, and meeting and working with a real client to a brief. You can’t learn that in a class room.”

The show garden is also supported by Marshalls and Wright Landscapes.

The five steps to staying safe online are:

• Create – a strong password
• Cover – regularly update your software
• Confidentiality – don’t share personal information
• Clicking – think before you click on links
• Connection – always use a secure WiFi

For more information visit www.cheshire.police.uk/5Cs.

 Other Reaseheath successes at RHS Tatton include:

•  A gold medal in the Flower School for former Level 3 Diploma in Floristry student Adi Thomas, Director of Verdure Floral Design, awarded for his fantastic flower bower design
• A silver medal and Best Construction Award for Reaseheath trained designers Jane Bingham and Penny Hearn for their ‘Lets Go Fly a Kite’ garden (Stand 417) commemorating the Children Today Charitable Trust’s 25th anniversary. The Chester based charity provides grants for adapted equipment for children and young people with disabilities throughout the UK. The garden tells the story of the challenges faced by those that Children Today supports and celebrates the charity’s success in enabling independence and transforming the lives of children with disabilities. Jane who has her own company ‘The Cheshire Garden’, became friends with fellow student Penny while studying garden design at Reaseheath and they returned to college to gain their RHS Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Horticulture
• A silver medal in the Floral Marquee for former National Diploma in Commercial Plant Production student Matt Wood, whose successful web based business The Tiny Plant Company grows and sells miniature versions of garden favourites