By Sara Messenger of the Bradley Stoke in Bloom group.
As our annual best front garden competition is now in its seventh year, I think we can justifiably claim it is now a firm fixture in our calendar. Each year we think you can’t do any better and then you do just that! But as each year increases and each garden grows, so does the difficulty in choosing an outright winner and again this year there was just a point between the top two scorers. So, after much conversation (and maybe a pint or two), we decided to again have joint overall winners.
Richard & Gill Love have, for the third time, scooped the top spot along with Maureen Hopkins & Evelyn Coates. Maureen is no stranger to the top spot though, as this is also her third time to win the shield!
In the absence of a town carnival this year, we are grateful to Almondsbury Garden Centre, not only for generously donating vouchers to every contestant, but for again allowing us to take over their café where the prizes were awarded by our mayor, Cllr Tom Aditya, and BSiB member Pepi Lateva.
Every garden we saw was unique, with such a wide variety of tastes and styles, but each reflecting their owners’ desire to make their own space a glorious one. The contestants not only brightened up their own homes but their home town too and for that we’re all very grateful, as it makes us feel we really are part of a lovely community. So we hope next year even more people enter into the community spirit and take part in our little competition.
Previously, we really enjoyed running a children’s tallest sunflower competition (last won by Sophie & James Dent) and, if there is enough interest, we hope next year to again have a children’s category – either another tallest sunflower or maybe ‘a garden in a pot’.
1st prizes were a personalised glass trophy to keep, a framed certificate, an engraved gold medal and a £25 garden voucher donated by Almondsbury Garden Centre.
2nd prizes were a personalised glass trophy to keep, a framed certificate, an engraved silver medal and a £10 garden voucher donated by Almondsbury Garden Centre.
All runners up received a framed certificate, an engraved bronze medal and a £5 garden voucher donated by Almondsbury Garden Centre.
and on Facebook too!
Click on letter code below (A, B, C etc) to view photos of each garden on the BSiB Facebook page.
Prize winners: Large Garden
- 1st: Richard & Gill Love (I: Brackendene)
- 2nd: Bluebell Gardens team (B: Savages Wood Road)
- 3rd: Alisa & Richard Aquilina (C: Juniper Way)
- 4th: David & Jenny Neale (F: Address withheld)
Runners-up: Large Garden (in alphabetical order)
Prize winners: Small Garden
Facebook favourite
- Richard & Gill Love
Overall winners
(who for a year, will share the engraved BFG shield)
- =1st: Richard & Gill Love
- =1st: Maureen Hopkins & Evelyn Coates
More photos and images:
- Hi-res photo of the winners:
- BSJ magazine centre spread:
This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on pages 20 & 21). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH (except August), to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
