Creating inspirational outreach to engage children and young people with the natural world has brought international recognition for Edinburgh’s Eve Armstrong.
School visits around the country, virtual lessons, and a series of videos have won her the Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI) 2026 Marsh Award for education in botanic gardens.
Since 2023 Eve, an Education Outreach Officer at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, has built up an extensive Scotland-wide outreach programme. She has engaged with over 7,000 pupils, by visiting schools from the Borders to Aberdeen and the Outer Hebrides.
In addition, she has reached a further 13,000 pupils in live streaming and enabling virtual visits to the research institute’s Glasshouses, Herbarium, Plant Nursery and Herbology room, as well as the Garden itself.
These interactive experiences have beamed into classrooms in 23 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Along the way, Eve has enthused primary and secondary age pupils on topics ranging from Rainforests to Scottish Native Plants and Botanic Careers.
Amy McDonald, Project Engagement Manager, nominated Eve for the award. She explained: “Eve always goes the extra mile to share the joy and importance of plants. The enthusiastic feedback we receive shows that pupils and teachers love her approach and session content.
“She always finds innovative and creative ways to connect with pupils in-person and virtually. Her videos have seen her don waders to film in a pond and borrow an infrared camera to map the heat emitted from a magnificent Amorphophallus titanum.
“Many of her lessons encourage young people to think about what actions they could take to conserve biodiversity – from looking after the natural spaces around their home, school, or local area, to lobbying adults to take action.”
As well as professional recognition, Eve receives £1,000 in prize money.
She said: “I am very fortunate to be in the position of working with children and young people right around the country. They are the future guardians of our planet and the starting point for them should be about having fun, learning about the vast number of positive experiences they can have by engaging with plants.
“We need their enthusiasm. At a time when 40 per cent of all known species are in danger of extinction, the determination of the next generation can make massive changes for the better in combating the impact of the biodiversity crisis and climate emergency. To inspire a sense of wonder in the natural world turns out to be fun and inspiring for me as well as them.”
