Schools In Bloom winners revealed
The winners of the annual Schools in Bloom contest for St Albans District have been revealed.
St Albans City and District Council, which organises the hugely-popular event, has continued with the event despite the pandemic.
The competition is designed to encourage children of primary school age to take an active interest in the great outdoors and acquire some gardening skills.
Sixteen schools entered the competition this year and the winners and runners-up of the five categories were:
Crafting Nature: artwork made entirely from natural materials. Winner: Bowmansgreen Primary School, London Colney; runner-up: Lea Primary School and Nursery, Harpenden.
Going Wild: exploring ways to encourage wildlife to visit a garden. Winner: Watling View School; runner-up: Wheatfields Infants and Nursery School, both St Albans.
Plant to Plate: growing fruit or vegetables in an eco-friendly way. Winner: The Grove Infant and Nursery School, Harpenden; runner-up: Watling View School.
Potty for Wildlife: using containers to add wildlife features to a garden. Winner: Crabtree Junior School; runner-up: Crabtree Infants School, Harpenden:
Super Sunflowers: the tallest sunflower. Winner: Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School, St Albans, 3.66m; runner-up: The Grove, 3.53m.
Judges avoided making visits to schools to guard against the spread of COVID-19 and entrants submitted photographs and collages of their work instead.
Among the judges were representatives of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, grounds maintenance contractor John O’Conner and the Environment Agency. They met online to make their decisions.
Winners and runners-up will receive prizes provided by Carpenters Nursery as well as certificates. All other entrants will be given a goodie bag donated by Burston Garden Centre.
Prizes for winners and the runners-up will include items such as planters, soaker hoses, tip bags, compost, trowels and seed trays
Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Public Realm Committee, said:
We decided to go ahead with the competition again despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and were rewarded with a bumper crop of entries.
I was really impressed by the enthusiasm and energy shown by all of the entrants and it was very difficult to choose the winners.
Schools in Bloom gives young children the chance to take part in an enjoyable activity that also teaches them about the importance of taking care of our plants and wildlife.
I hope this experience will have helped the pupils who participated to develop a passion for their natural environment.
Pictures: top, Crabtree Infants School, runner up entry for Potty for Wildlife; bottom, Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School, winning entry for Super Sunflower.
Councillor contact: Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Chair of the Public Realm Committee, cllr.a.rowlands@stalbans.gov.uk, 07761 232064.
Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer. 01727 819533,
john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.