Themed gardens wow crowds at show
26 July 2010
Schools and
children’s centres from across Cheshire West, Cheshire East and
Warrington have exhibited at the RHS Show 2010 at Tatton
Park.
The 20 nursery rhyme-themed front-to-front
gardens, each focusing on a school’s individual interpretation of a
specific nursery rhyme, has involved more than 150 young
people.
Led by Kevin Smith of Oaklands School in
Winsford and funded by the Winsford Educational Partnership,
sponsors and families, the children designed the gardens, sourced
plants and materials and built the nursery rhyme-themed gardens on
the site themselves.
This is the first time that the RHS has
permitted children onsite during the build process. Cheshire West
and Chester Council’s grounds maintenance contractor Sodexho has
helped with the build process.
Kevin said: “I would like to thank Barclays
Bank, Gadbrook, Northwich, for the tremendous support that they
have shown us, both in sponsorship and in providing people on the
ground to help make our designs become a reality.
“More than 150 children have worked extremely
hard on this project, which has been no mean feat. The youngsters
have spent hours interpreting each nursery rhyme and trying to
express it within these gardens. They also sourced materials and
plants and helped to build the final versions here at Tatton
Park.
“My thanks also go to the Royal Horticultural
Society for allowing our kids on site during the build – the first
year that this has ever been permitted. The gardens look truly
amazing and luckily the weather has held out!”
Cheshire West and Chester Council’s
Streetscene team also scooped a Gold Award in the National
Flowerbed Competition category at the show for their ‘On Yer Bike’
flowerbed design.
The design celebrates Chester’s selection as a
Cycle Demonstration City and highlights the many bike routes and
beautiful scenery that the Cheshire West area has to offer.
Simulating a pedal-powered tour through
historical and cultural sites throughout the borough, Chester’s
Roman history, Northwich’s salt connections and Ellesmere Port’s
historical docks are featured in the display.
Resources were provided by local companies -
the bike, built by local firm Sandersons TCM, salt from Salt Union
LTD Winsford, and the wood carving of a Roman helmet by Simon
O’Rourke.