ALLOA'S Makers Cafe and Community Hub have transformed a patch of waste ground into a stunning garden, providing fresh produce and a quiet area for staff to take a break.

Makers is run by Scottish Autism, and provides employment opportunities to its service users with the aim of allowing them to lead full and enriched lives.

Linda Fullerton, 44, manager at Makers, spoke of how the garden provides a much-needed peaceful area for staff at peak times.

She told the Advertiser: "It gives the Scottish Autism service users who work in the cafe somewhere to go for quiet time.

"The cafe can get quite busy and loud so it gives them a quiet place to go.

"It also means we can also use produce that's grown in the garden to cook with.

"The garden is split up into four sections based on the senses.

"For smell we have things like herbs, for sight we have flowers, sounds has a water feature and wind chimes, and taste has herbs too."

The new kitchen garden was funded through a donation from the local Tesco, which was raised through its Bags of Help scheme.

Linda added: "It was completed around August or September.

"Tesco gave us £4,000 towards the garden so we're definitely pleased with that."

Ross Morton, café facilitator, was “incredibly happy” the garden is all finished with everything now flourishing.

He said: “For example this week we’ve got the cakes out the front decorated with herbs from the garden, the soup has been spiced with it, the coleslaw was made with cabbage we’ve grown – it has really helped supplement what we make.”