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Every summer, we invite residents to showcase the wonderful gardens they’ve created by entering our Great Garden Competition. It’s always inspiring to see how much time, care, and creativity goes into making these green spaces thrive. The winners each receive gardening vouchers to help continue their commitment to nature, eco-friendly living, and even growing their own produce.

This year, we were delighted to hand-deliver a certificate and prize voucher to a mother and daughter who have entered for the last few years and won this year for Best Edible Garden! Their garden was bursting with life, featuring colourful flowers, homegrown vegetables, and even pineapple plants. Both originally from Hungary, they are also talented artists, and the same creativity they bring to their artwork is reflected in every corner of their garden which they enjoy doing together.

Istvanne, the winner of the category said:
“I really enjoy taking part in the competition. I missed it so much during Covid—it is always something to look forward to.”

 Her daughter added, “My mom was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago, which has been difficult for us both. Gardening brings her so much joy and helps her cope, so I always encourage her to spend time outside. I try to be creative with her, sometimes by putting together little collections of flowers for her hands. During the summer, neighbours and visitors from the village often stop to admire the front garden because it’s just overflowing with blooms.”

In a generous gesture, the family gifted us one of their beautiful landscape paintings. We’re finding the perfect place for it in our office, where colleagues and visitors alike can enjoy it for years to come.

Competitions like this highlight just how much joy, wellbeing, and pride a garden can bring, not only to those who nurture them but also to the wider community. Congratulations again to our winners, and thank you to everyone who entered this year’s competition. Check out our Facebook or Instagram for some of the other winning gardens and runners-up. We can’t wait to see what next summer’s gardens will bring!