Northern Ireland's only entry to the garden section of the Chelsea Flower Show has picked up an award in the prestigious event.

Landscape gardener Celia Spouncer and the children from Cedar Integrated Primary School in Crossgar received a silver-gilt medal in the Small Gardens category.

A Dream Come True started off as a project for nine to 10-year-olds at the County Down school last September. They were asked to design an imaginary city garden for the Chelsea Flower Show and to everyone's surprise it was accepted by the Royal Horticultural Society for this year's event.

Ms Spouncer said she was simply "staggered" by the result.

"I always had in mind that we would just get the garden built and anything else on top of that was a bonus," she said.

"But to get a silver-gilt!

"When I look around Chelsea, that's put us on the same level as Diarmuid Gavin and Bunny Guinness and all the top designers. It's lovely."

The winning garden includes many creative pieces by the children in collaboration with local artists, alongside plants and garden features that the children felt created a peaceful haven which enhanced and respected the environment.

Local gardeners also sourced the plants which were needed and these included Aconitum 'Neury Blue' and the corkscrew reed Juncus effusus spiralis, which was first discovered in Ireland.

Nearly 160,000 people will be able to see the Crossgar garden at Chelsea this week.