Around 200 pupils, parents and teachers attended a special ceremony last week which honoured young gardeners in Bury St Edmunds.
Students from nine schools were rewarded for their efforts in the Young Green Fingers Scheme, which is run by the town’s horticultural organisation Bury in Bloom to encourage youngsters into gardening.
Nigel Bloxham, Anglia in Bloom judge, and councillors Patsy Warby and Wayne Hailstone presented the prizes at the ceremony, which was held at the Athenaeum on Tuesday, October 9.
The outstanding achievement award went to Tollgate Primary School, while the Crop to Fork award – for the cooks who use the most produce from the school garden in lunches – went to Tollgate and Hardwick primary schools.
Pupils winning Star Gardener awards on the night were as follows: Grace Gillard (Westley Middle School), Theo Jackson, Molly Murphy (St Edmunds CP School), Kenneth Oliver, Niall Gibbons (St Benedict’s Catholic School), Liam Ticehurst (Tollgate Primary School), Isabelle Johnston, Natasha Murcutt (County Upper School), and Abigail Wattie (Sexton’s Manor Primary School).
Jean Hardy, Young Green Fingers judge, said: “Everyone has faced difficult conditions in the heat this year, staff have been amazing coming in at weekends and children have been encouraged to use their left over drinking water for their plants. “We the judges were very impressed with how good the gardens looked, a credit to all involved in schools gardening.”
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