GLASGOW came together today for the opening of a peace garden on the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Located in the city’s Botanic Gardens, it was designed by pupils at nearby St Charles and North Kelvinside primary schools with support from Scottish CND and the Mayors for Peace project.

Opening the garden, Lord Provost Dr Jacqueline McLaren said: “On the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima, we gather to inaugurate our very own symbol of peace and resilience.

“Glasgow’s peace garden will commemorate the atrocious atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and its devastating consequences, and it will stand as a testament to our collective commitment to peace.”

Katsutoshi Takeda, Japan’s consul general in Edinburgh, said: “It was said that, after the devastation caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nothing would grow for 75 years.

“Despite this devastation, however, ginkgo trees were able to survive, bloom and produce seeds.

“These seeds are now sent around the world to promote peace and to strive for a nuclear-free world through Mayors for Peace. 

“It is only fitting that some of these seeds are planted here in Glasgow’s peace garden. 

“I hope that they will grow into strong trees which will bloom for many years to come and stand as the most powerful reminder of the futility of war and a beautiful expression of resilience.”

Glasgow CND’s Jenny Anderson added: “We will continue to fight against the fiction that we need nuclear weapons to defend ourselves.

“They do not defend us; they make us a target. We must educate our young people and help them carry forward the work of peace, give them the tools to fight the madness with truth and knowledge.”