As we’re now in our 13th year, I think we can safely say that our annual best front garden competition is a firm fixture in the town events.
We started back in 2013 with just five gardens and our first winner was Maureen Hopkins who, despite everything life throws at her, continues to always be in the top three. This year, the exceedingly hot weather put many off from entering but the gardens that were entered certainly put on a colourful and fragrant show.
I’d like to say ‘thank you’ to this year’s judges, Ceri, Jez, Sara and Catherine, and to Bradley Stoke Town Council who started the group and supported us all the way. And also to thank everyone who donated prizes and to Timpsons who not only still seem to charge us little more than they did in 2013, but who never tell in advance who the winners are.
We had a fabulous array of prizes to be won. Richard at Almondsbury Garden Centre always provides us with many vouchers, Jordan at The Hollow Tree also generously provided a voucher for a drink and a meal for two, and the Aztec Hotel & Spa provided a voucher for brunch for two.
We also have two main shields which are returned after a year and, to keep, engraved glass trophies and engraved medals and framed certificates for all.
We held our prize giving event at the Jubilee Centre garden on a lovely warm summer evening, which was attended by many of the Bradley Stoke councillors and staff as well as our contestants and their families and friends. Mayor Natalie Field handed out the prizes.
I would like to say the evening went without a hitch, but for the first time ever an error was made with the medals which couldn’t be rectified in time for the prize giving, so Jitesh channelled his inner Maureen and wore her medal for the photo. I think we got away with it!
We also discovered that our two first place winners are related, I guess the gardening gene runs deep in the Johnson family.
Congratulations to everyone. We hope you enjoy being part of this as much as we do and we can’t wait to see what you all do next year. Although voting for Facebook Favourite has closed, the pictures of the gardens can still be found on our page so why not take a look and, if you think your garden compares, why not enter next year?
2025 winners:
Best Large Garden
1st – Paul and Judith Johnson
2nd – Jitesh Mistry
3rd – Krishnan Rambadhran
Best Small Garden
1st – Catherine O’Shea
2nd – Maureen Hopkins and Evelyn Coates
3rd – Gillian Davies
Facebook Favourite
Bluebell Gardens Gardening Club
Greenest Garden
Paul & Judith Johnson
by Sara Messenger, Chair of Bradley Stoke in Bloom