An 11-metre high living wall sculpture, designed by a Stroud College pupil has been installed on the walls of the Five Valleys Shopping Centre.

The centre's owners, Dransfield Properties, launched a competition to design a 'living wall sculpture' with Stroud College's Art and Design students in January 2019.

The competition was judged my Mark Dransfield, Managing Director of Dransfield Properties and David Owen, Chief Executive of GFirst LEP.

Student Francesca Smith won the competition and her design of different textured green and red plants has been installed on to the side of the newly-refurbished multi-storey car park as part of the centre's major transformation.

Francesca said: "My inspiration for the design came from the production of military uniforms in Stroud with the scarlet plants representing a strand of thread.

"My initial inspiration for the living wall, however, was in response to the current climate crisis and how ecosystems can still exist in urban environments.

"I have really enjoyed developing the designs with the team at Five Valleys and learning about the logistics of bringing the living wall to life. "

Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, Mark Dransfield said: "Francesca's design was chosen unanimously as our winning design which is a real tribute to the town and perfectly reflects the true sense of Stroud."

Siobhan Baillie, MP for Stroud said: "I am so pleased to be involved with the unveiling of this impressive living wall sculpture at Five Valleys.

"We are so lucky in Stroud to have incredible creative talent like Francesca and the Art school students. The sculpture is a wonderful addition to the town. "

The next phase of improvements at Five Valley's includes a stylish, indoor "Borough Market" style area, showcasing the region's best local producers and traders.

The Five Valleys project is headed by the retail property specialists Dransfield Properties Ltd and is part funded by GFirst LEP.