Garden competition revived to celebrate folk’s lockdown efforts
Andrew Hirst
A garden competition is being held to help celebrate the hard work folk have put into transforming their outdoor spaces during the lockdown.
Lerwick Community Council (LCC), which is organising the competition, said that while Covid-19 had been stressful – one of the few benefits of lockdown had been the chance for people to spend more time in their gardens during the fine weather.
LCC clerk Frankie Valente said: “There’s no doubt that spending time working in a garden makes a positive contribution to good physical and mental health.
“Creating something beautiful and watching the results of your labour start to flower and to attract bees and butterflies into your garden can be quite uplifting, and the daily walks around the neighbourhood is enhanced by seeing the flowers in gardens and parks.”
LCC used to hold annual garden competitions – but it was dropped in 2012, when the winners were Raewyn and Leslie Irvine.
The council said it 2020 seems like the perfect time to bring it back.
Ms Valente said it was “just a bit of fun – but it is also a way to celebrate the effort that goes into creating and maintaining a garden and acknowledging how much joy it can bring during an otherwise horrible time”.
“We hope to have lots of entries, and we are really grateful to the sponsors for their generous offer of support,” she added.
The categories are:
1. Open competition, which anyone can enter;
2. Beginners competition, for new gardens or those maintained by children;
3.Environmentally friendly garden, such as those that are attractive to wildlife or use recycled materials;
4. Judges’ prize – the overall favourite garden.
Gardening vouchers have been donated by LCC, Ingrid’s Garden Plants and Plantiecrub. Harbro Country Stores has also donated 10 bags of compost and a spade.
The first prize in each category will be £50, with a runner-up prize receiving £20, along with a bag of compost for each winner. The beginner’s category will also win the new spade. The judges’ prize will receive money, three bags of compost and the trophy.
The judges will be Ms Valente and LCC member Karen Fraser.
Entries are invited by email (clerk@lerwickcc.org.uk) or via the LCC page. Entrants must email up to three photos of their garden along with your contact details.
Judging will take place between 25th and 31st July. The winners will be announced on 1st August.
