A GROUP of youngsters from Belarus added the finishing touches to a special garden of hope created in their honour in Dalgety Bay.

The colourful space was designed by local resident Peter Collins who wanted to make something permanent to remember the children who visit the town every year.

The six visitors from Belarus are in West Fife for a recuperative holiday organised by the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline Fife Link, which helps kids affected by the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

They were given the job of finishing off the garden – on a plot near Dalgety Parish Church – with an array of colourful flowers.

Peter said: “The idea is all the future generations of children coming through here will do more. It will become a hope garden.

"The logo of the Chernobyl charity is hope for living and basically we thought we will create just that and, in doing so, create more awareness and publicity for them.”

Peter, who has been running his Lovely Trees business from his Craigridge Place home for five years, added: “The translator explained that they were the starting group for something that is going to be a really nice feature for the Bay and they were all excited about it – I was humbled.

"I do a lot of classes with schools and I have never had such a reaction.”

As well as the hope garden, Peter has been helping to make Dalgety Bay a more colourful place to live.

A plan for flower planters around the town has blossomed and there are now countless pots dotted all over the area.

“I set aside money I was going to use and went through that quite quickly but other businesses and people came forward and were saying 'It is great what you are doing, we like seeing it' and gave me more money to keep going,” he explained.

“I am getting so many people saying it looks lovely – it is cheerful and bright and creates a lovely community feeling. I find wee spaces to put them in and have also put a couple of boat planters out as well.

“Every street that is off the main roads has got at least one planter and it is unbelievable that people are actually toddling out with their watering cans to look after them.”