Plants and flowers which could have been destroyed when construction work starts at Inverness Campus are moving to a new home across the city.

HIE is working with local conservation charity BTCV to ensure garden plants from the campus site at Beechwood continue to thrive elsewhere in Inverness.

The donated plants will be placed in a garden feature at New Craigs Hospital, which the charity is helping residential patients to create.

Karen Thomson, HIE's Inverness Campus Team Manager, said: "We wanted to give away the current plants at Beechwood so they don't go to waste when contractors start on site.

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"Knowing of BTCV's community work, we decided to ask if they might like them and we're pleased they were keen to help themselves. It's great to know they are going to a worthy cause and a good new home."

BTCV is an international conservation charity with a base in Inverness which helps people enjoy fresh air, take up exercise and socialise.

Volunteer Development Officer, Elspeth Lawson, who runs BTCV's "Green Gym" team, said: "We were thrilled and very grateful to receive the invitation from the team at Inverness Campus.

"We have collected some beautiful hydrangeas, pansies, lavender and some great stones which our Green Gym team will use to make a fantastic raised garden feature with the residential patients up at New Craigs Hospital."

HIE is developing Inverness Campus as a major new location for learning and research, business, sport and leisure in the Highland capital. It will provide a base for Inverness College, UHI, the Scottish Agricultural College, Centre for Health Science phase 4, a training hotel and sports and community facilities. Construction is due to start on site early next year.

(GK)