British Garden Centres helped young green thumbs from Woodley schools in the annual School Tray Garden Competition, which took on an Olympic theme this year at Waingels College.
Inspired by the spirit of the Games, budding gardeners from South Lake, Highwood, Rivermead, Beechwood and St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School aimed for gold in this collaborative event, part of the Woodley Cluster Project, organised by Jackie Andrews with plants donated by Winnersh Garden Centre.
Working in pairs across schools, the budding gardeners designed and created their tray gardens, focusing on different Olympic themes. And just like in the real Olympics, teamwork was key.
Schools were judged on both the creativity of their ‘Olympic Gardens; and how well their young teams worked together.
After the afternoon of judging by Cassie King, PR officer at British Garden Centres, Cllr Juliet Anderson, Woodley Town Mayor, Cllr David Bragg, deputy mayor and Brenda Milton from Woodley Flower Club, the winners were crowned champions.
Parents were invited to celebrate the achievements and witness the award ceremony presented by Matt Hickey, Head of Highwood Primary School.
Gold Medal: “Team Awesome” made up of pupils from Highwood and South Lake.
Silver Medal: “Paris Ring Garden” made up of pupils from Beechwood and Rivermead.
Bronze Medal: “High 5” made up of pupils from Highwood and Rivermead.
A Teamwork Award was also presented, recognising the collaborative spirit of the young Olympians.
This was won by ‘Everybody’s Garden’ made up of pupils from South Lake and St Dominic Savio schools.
Every participant received ‘seeds of inspiration’ to take home, also courtesy of British Garden Centres.
The Olympic Legacy continued with these miniature marvels being displayed with pride at the Woodley Carnival, alongside seasoned green thumbs from the Woodley Flower Club.
Cassie King, PR officer at British Garden Centres said: “The creativity and teamwork displayed by these young gardeners were truly inspiring. They’ve not only learned valuable skills but also embodied the Olympic spirit, proving that gardening can be a fun and collaborative activity. I have no doubt the ‘seeds of inspiration’ received will continue to grow long after the competition is over – well done to all that have taken part.”
Jackie Andrews, Woodley Schools cluster administrator added: This has been a fantastic event again this year with the children displaying so much creativity, teamwork and enthusiasm for the task.
“We run three other such projects for different year groups on an annual basis, kindly aided by grant funding from Woodley Town Council, and all of them are a wonderful way for the schools to work together and for children to take part in activities not generally available to them.
“Hosting the events at local secondary schools also introduces the pupils to the sights and sounds of their next educational step, helping to ease transition worries.
“The Tray Garden Day especially is a wonderful community event and would not be possible without the generous donation from Winnersh Garden Centre and the dedicated support from members of the Woodley Town Council, The Woodley Flower Club and the Woodley Carnival Committee. Thank you to everyone involved.”
