Green-fingered gardeners in Tonbridge receive awards

Green-fingered people from across Tonbridge and Malling, and Gravesham, were rewarded for their environmentally friendly gardening efforts at the Wild About Gardens Awards presentation on Wednesday 3 October 2012 at Hadlow College's Rural Regeneration Centre.

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council joins forces each year with the Kent Wildlife Trust, the Royal Horticultural Society and the national Love Where You Live campaign to run the Wild About Gardens scheme locally, which rewards those who 'have a go' at making their garden more environmentally friendly and welcoming to wildlife. 

It is free to enter and open to any garden in Kent however large or small the plot.

The Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Dave Davis, presented certificates to a total of 25 winners who each received an award of either commended, bronze, silver or gold. 

Each winner was also given a reusable shopping bag, home composting CD and a recycled pencil.

In Tonbridge and Malling, there were 17 entries in total, three school gardens – Leybourne St Peter & Paul Primary School, (Silver Award), Ridge View School (Bronze Award) in Tonbridge and St Katherine's School (Bronze Award) in Snodland; and 14 residential gardens. 

As well as their individual awards, several of the gardens were also shortlisted for one of the Kent-wide garden categories including Best School Garden in Kent and Best Small Garden.

The gardeners were invited to bring along photo albums and displays from their garden as well as plants for swopping. 

Theresa Sadler's fantastic papier-mache Common Frog, which graced the presentation area, impressed everyone as did Leybourne Primary School's power point presentation.

Maureen Rainey, People and Wildlife Officer for Kent Wildlife Trust, says: "The standard of gardens gets higher each year with gardens large and small demonstrating careful planning and thoughtful gardening to create a haven for wildlife. Congratulations to all the award winners for their imaginative work this summer."

Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling, Cllr Dave Davis, says: "Congratulations to all of this years' award winners – it's great to see so many people taking the time to make their gardens more wildlife-friendly. 

"As well as providing a habitat for wildlife, these gardens bring pleasure to everyone around them and are a credit to those who have worked in them."