Wimbledon Chase school wins national garden award
Wimbledon Chase primary school has been awarded top spot in the national 'Top of the Plots' competition run by the Mirror newspaper.The gardening competition looks at green patches across the country from beautiful Edens to veg plots. Wimbledon Chase won the best school garden and were also overall winners, bagging £500 in B&Q vouchers to spend on more gardening goodies.
Volunteer Tony Cullen (right) plays a key role in maintaining the school’s garden. He runs the gardening club and ensures it is looked after outside of term time too. In preparation for Halloween, pupils have grown pumpkins, some as heavy as ten stone. They also planted wildflower seed, bulbs and trees.
Wimbledon Chase also came joint first place in the recent Merton in Bloom awards, scooping the award for the best school wildlife garden.
Tony said: "I am pleased that the pupils' hard work has been recognised. It is really pleasing to see so many children take an interest in gardening and gaining experience and enthusiasm for gardening that they can take with them as they grow up."
Headteacher of Wimbledon Chase Sue Tomes said: "We are very proud of our garden. The work our pupils do to maintain them with Tony's guidance is brilliant and the pumpkins they have grown are amazing."
The school also came joint first with Priory School in Wimbledon in the category of Best School Wildlife Garden in the annual Merton in Bloom awards.
Other local winners in the Merton in Bloom awards included Gino's restaurant in Wimbledon, which was highly commended in the Best Commercial Premises category.
November 1, 2013