A garden in Ipswich and the local community were recognized nationally for their green finger efforts during the lockdown and won a prestigious competition.
Brickmakers Wood in Ipswich, with the help of many volunteers during the lockdown, landed the B&Q Community Garden of the Year golden trowel, the B&Q green card and the consultation from RHS Matt and Humaira.
As the country begins to lift lockdown restrictions, many locals are coming out with a new passion for gardening.
Around 80% of Britons have become more interested in maintaining their planters, terraces, balconies and green spaces in the past year, and thanks to B&Q’s Gardener of the Year competition, many have been able to show off their new skills.
B&Q was joined by comedian Jim Moir in a bid to showcase the ‘real’ UK gardens, with the competition winner taking home £ 10,000.
Jo Brooks was one of the gardeners to celebrate national B&Q recognition
Jo Brooks, 41, said: “While the blockades have been incredibly difficult for everyone, one positive thing that has come out is that it has created the perfect environment for people to learn new skills and develop. focus on improving their outdoor spaces.
“It has been great for nature, great for people and great for overall well-being. I think people are going to keep gardening and that can only be a good thing.
“Getting our community space to where it is now has been quite difficult and we have been pushed back on several occasions.
“We have had multiple break-ins, illegal behavior and serious vandalism to name a few, so winning an award has really boosted our wonderful community and shows what their hard work has accomplished.”
Brooks, who works as director of the Community Benefit Society, discovered her passion for gardening after helping her father with his garden as a child, and she has been instrumental, like so many others, as Brickmakers Wood won the competition because he met all the Criteria judges.
“The community garden has been beneficial for wildlife and has given people a lot of fun and allowed everyone to be creative and express themselves,” Brooks added.
“A range of ages and individuals from across the community got involved.
“Gardening started with growing radishes on my father’s plot and then developed further when I had my own children, taking over my father’s plot and teaching them how to grow food and fruit crops – well that they ate more than they planted.
“The B&Q competition really gave people a chance to show off what they’ve accomplished.
“For us, it was a great opportunity to thank all of our lovely volunteers for all the hard work they have done to make our community space what it is.
B & Q’s Gardener of the Year competition allowed Britons with green fingers to show off their new gardening expertise
“I think gardening is a great way to relax. We have seen a great improvement in some of our volunteers, students and beneficiaries just spending time among the plants and trees and even more as they engage and learn new skills.
“I would definitely recommend gardening to a lot of people. Just spending time among plants and flowers is a fantastic way to improve biodiversity, especially in urban environments.
Gardening has certainly been a haven for many who have struggled with foreclosure over the past year, and the competition is a relief for gardening enthusiasts who missed the Chelsea Flower Show.
Award-winning garden designers Matt Childs and Humaira Ikram and B&Q Outdoor Category Director Steve Guy joined Moir on the jury.
Guy said: “At B&Q, our mission is to respond individually to each of our customers by providing them with a wide range of quality plants, allowing them to create incredible outdoor spaces. In launching the B&Q Gardener of the Year contest, we sought to celebrate gardens of all shapes and sizes that we see with all of our winners.
The British drew inspiration for their gardens from many different places. 37% turned to garden centers like B&Q for advice, while 27% asked their parents and 26% took to social media platforms as more young people tried their hand at gardening.
B&Q threw the rulebook out the window when it comes to what makes a garden the ‘best in the show’ – as the Ipswich Community Garden proves, bringing together people from all walks of life.
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Source: www.times-series.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-11 13:42:53
