Tenants awarded for their amazing gardens in annual competition

Published: Mon 11th September, 2023

Council tenants from across the borough are celebrating their awards following an annual garden competition.

The tenant garden competition, which is run by Charnwood Borough Council, saw 25 entries across seven different categories, and showcased gardens of all shapes and sizes.

There were also special recognition awards handed out to council tenants Mark Holland, for his tireless work on the communal gardens at Chapman Street in Loughborough, and to Lee Williams from Loughborough and Vera Zahan from Shepshed for making great use of small spaces using ornaments, flower pots and lots of colour.

This year the gardens were judged by councillors Jennifer Tillotson and Anne Gray, who were both astounded by the efforts of the tenants, and the standard across all the categories. They also praised the community spirit on display, as applicants showed off their gardens with pride, with many being collective efforts.

High street vouchers were awarded to the winners and runners-up during the event at Loughborough Town Hall on Thursday, September 7.

The awards were handed out by the Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Margaret Smidowicz.

Councillor Colin Hamilton, lead member for public and private sector housing, also attended the event. He said: “The tenant garden competition is still going strong after over a decade, and long may it continue.

“It takes a great deal of time and effort and  to make a garden great, so I applaud all the applicants for their work. They have done a fantastic job.

“Congratulations to all the award winners and thank you to everyone who entered the competition. We look forward to receiving your applications for 2024.”

The categories for this year’s competition included best house or flat, best window box, balcony and pots, best hanging baskets, best communal gardens, best sheltered court garden, best fruit and vegetable garden, best newcomer and greener garden, which promotes upcycling and sustainable gardening.

The winners for 2023 were:

House or Flat

• Joint third place – Mr & Mrs Dews, Alex Wallace
• Second place – Frederick Miles
• First place – Mick Pipes

Window Box, Balcony & Pots

• Joint third place – Valeria Gould & Freda Sharpe with Tracey Wilcox, Kevin Poole
• Second place – Kevin Curtis
• First place – Robert Kirk

Hanging Baskets

• Third place – Robert Kirk
• Second place – Sarah Cole
• First place – June Letten

Communal Garden

• Joint third place – June Bush (Knightthorpe Road, Loughborough), Carol Airey (Longcliffe Road, Shepshed)
• Second place – Philip Howard and Gabriel Haynes (Freehold Street, Loughborough)
• First place – Mr Barradell (The Mills, Quorn)

Sheltered Court Garden

• Third place – Doreen Pryor (Riversdale Court, Birstall)
• Second place – Joy Braker (St Pauls Court, Anstey)
• First place – Fielding Court, Loughborough

Fruit and Vegetable

• Joint third place – Robert Kirk, Philip Howard & Gabriel Haynes
• Second place – Frederick Miles
• First place – Mick Pipes

Best Newcomer

• Third place – Sarah Solomon
• Second place – Barbara Noble
• First place – Mal Summerfield

Greener Garden

• Third place – Sarah Solomon
• Second place – Mal Summerfield
• First place – Mr & Mrs Dews

Best year-round Garden

• Third place – Georgina Gebski
• Joint second place – Mr & Mrs Reeve, Debbie Newton
• First place – Mick Pipes

Recognition Awards

• Mark Holland
• Lee Williams
• Vera Zahan