THE memory of a much-loved classroom assistant and dinner lady at Stockbridge Primary School will live on thanks to the effort of hard-working primary school pupils.

Josephine Tuff, 10, is a pupil at the school and her mum, Katie, used to help there.

She went, with staff members, to Hilliers and chose the plants for a memorial garden to preserve her mum's memory after she died in 2005. Josephine said her mum preferred grass and plants to flowers and chose three grasses and two lavenders.

"I selected them because they are my mum's favourites," she said.

Head teacher Pam Simpson said: "Over half-term the children did lots of odd jobs and raised money for it. They walked dogs, washed gnomes and tidied gardens," she said.

The pupils also drew pictures as to how the garden should look and the best one was picked and the garden followed the design.

Paul Jenkinson, who runs Leckford Post Office with his wife and is a woodworker, built the garden bird table and benches. Parents, teachers and children are pictured above examining the bench at the garden.

"I thought it was a nice and worthwhile thing to do," he said.