12 September 2023
Fife College Furniture student Justyna Stanka’s competition-winning bench design has become a reality after it was installed in Formonthills Woodland, Glenrothes.
Justyna’s design was chosen from several others produced by her HNC Furniture class for a competition run in partnership with The Woodland Trust earlier this year.
The students were given the opportunity to showcase their creativity by designing and building model benches before presenting them to a judging panel which included staff from the Woodland Trust Scotland. After much deliberation, Justyna’s design was chosen as the winner.
The bench went into production during the summer with the finished article now in situ at the Formonthills Woodlands.
Justyna, from Dunfermline, said:
"The design is very simple, using just six pieces of locally sourced wood. I wanted to design a bench big enough for a group of people, it can be used as a table or seat or both. People can sit on every edge to take in whatever views they want to contemplate.
"The bench was built with the help of my amazing lecturers and fellow students. It is fantastic to see the finished bench installed in the picturesque woodlands of Formonthills."
Fife College HNC Furniture Lecturer, Claire Thomson, said:
"Projects like this significantly enhance our students' learning journey, offering them genuine, hands-on experience. The Woodland Trust project brief presented its own distinctive set of challenges, which the students enjoyed working on and I am especially proud of their finished model designs.
"Our Furniture course aims to equip students for success in the professional realm beyond college, and this project offers them a valuable glimpse into the future roles they might embrace upon graduation."
For more information about Furniture Production or Interior Design courses at Fife College visit www.fife.ac.uk.