A garden in Ipswich and the local community have been recognised nationally for their green-fingered efforts during lockdown and have won a prestigious competition.
Brickmakers Wood in Ipswich, with the help of many volunteers over the lockdown, have landed the B&Q Community Garden of the Year golden trowel, B&Q green card and consultation from RHS Matt and Humaira.
While the country starts to lift lockdown restrictions, many of the nation come out of it with a newfound passion for gardening.
Around 80 percent of Brits have become more interested in tending to their window boxes, patios, balconies, and green spaces in the last year, and thanks to B&Q’s Gardener of the Year competition, many have been able to show off their newfound skills.
B&Q has been joined by comedian Jim Moir on a mission to showcase the ‘real’ gardens of the UK, with the winner of the competition taking home £10,000.
Jo Brooks, 41, said: “Whilst the lockdowns were incredibly hard for everyone, one positive thing that came out of it was that it created the perfect environment for people to learn new skills and concentrating on improving their outdoor spaces.
“That has been great for nature, great for people and great for well-being in general. I think people will continue to garden and that can only be good thing.
“To get our community space to where it is now has been quite challenging and we have been knocked back many times.
“We’ve had multiple break ins, illicit behaviour and severe vandalism to name a few, so to win an award has really boosted our wonderful community and shows what their hard work has achieved.”
Brooks, who works as the director of the Community Benefit Society, found her passion for gardening after helping her father on his allotment as a child, and she contributed, like so many others, as Brickmakers Wood won the competition because it met all the judge’s criteria.
“The community garden has been a benefit to wildlife and has given people so much enjoyment and allowed everyone to be creative and express themselves,” added Brooks.
“A range of ages and individuals from across the community have got involved.
“Gardening started with me growing radishes on my father’s plot and then developed further when I had my own children, taking over my father’s allotment and teaching them to cultivate food and fruit crops – although they ate more than they planted.
“The B&Q competition really gave people a chance to show what they have achieved.
“For us it was a great opportunity to thank all our lovely volunteers for all the hard work they have done to make our community space what it is.
“I think gardening is a fantastic way to de-stress. We have seen a vast improvement in some of our volunteers, students, and beneficiaries by just spending time amongst the plants and trees and even more when they engage and learn new skills.
“I would definitely recommend gardening to many people. Even just spending time amongst the plants and flowers is a fantastic way to improve biodiversity, especially in urban environments.”
Gardening has certainly been a refuge for many people who have struggled with the lockdown in the past year, and the competition comes as a relief to gardening enthusiasts who have missed out on the likes of the Chelsea Flower Show.
Joining Moir on the judges panel were award-winning garden designers, Matt Childs and Humaira Ikram, and B&Q Outdoor Category Director Steve Guy.
Guy said: “At B&Q, our mission is to cater for each of our customers individually by providing them with a great range of quality plants, enabling them to create amazing outside spaces. In launching the B&Q Gardener of the year competition, we sought to celebrate gardens of all shapes and sizes which is seen with all of our winners.”
Brits have taken inspiration for their gardens from many different places. 37% turned to gardening centres like B&Q for advice, while 27% asked their parents and 26% checking social media platforms as more young people tried their hand at gardening.
B&Q threw the rule book out the window when it came to what makes a garden ‘best in show’ – as proven by Ipswich’s community garden, bringing people of all backgrounds together.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here