A SPECTACULAR topsy-turvy play garden has clinched Southend Council a prestigious award at the Hampton Court Flower Show.

The Playful Garden was designed and made by the council’s parks staff to captivate children, with support from playground equipment company Hags Play Ltd and the Department for Education.

And it so wowed judges at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, it has picked up the bronze award.

It also attracted a huge amount of interest, from the early design stage right through to planting and completion.

Particularly popular were the upside-down garden and the underground garden, where children can crawl through a tunnel to see roots growing and run down a grassy spiral to a tree they can climb.

Southend’s councillor for culture, Derek Jarvis, said: “Congratulations to our terrific parks technical team for their achievement.

“The Playful Garden has unlocked a way for youngsters and adults to discover and explore the enjoyment and fun of the natural world and fully deserves its bronze award.

“It is an exceptionally inspiring exhibit and is proving to be a magnet for all who see it and want to play in it."

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is open to the public from Tuesday July 6 until Sunday 11th July 11.