Gardeners put on a fine show

     

The skills of green fingered council tenants and leaseholders were out to the test this summer when they took part in an annual gardening competition.

Even the early summer heat wave and the following bouts of torrential rain couldn't stop them presenting some magnificent gardens for judging.

The Coast and Countryside Gardening Competition, which is now in its sixth year, attracted 50 entrants in five categories ranging from small gardens to large communal gardens.

The judges were Lisa Hunt and Pat Smith for Coast and Countryside Residents Board, Chris McCreedy, the council's contracts manager and Cllr Keren Belcourt Cabinet Member for Housing.

"We were privileged to see some beautiful gardens. Standards were very high and this made judging difficult. We would like to not only congratulate the winners but everyone who took part. Despite the changeable weather we've been having, all the gardens were a credit to them," said Cllr Belcourt.

The competition was sponsored by Wilson Builders, Armature Electrical, Swale Heating and Prima Systems who together provided total prize money of £500. Folkestone and Dover Water Services also provided water butts for the winner of each class.

FDWS Water Efficiency Manager, Ian McAthy, said: "We were delighted to help with the sponsorship of the competition and were impressed with results that have been achieved. We find that good gardeners are careful with water and that's just what we want to encourage. With a water butt you can give your plants the rainwater that's ideal for them and if you have a meter save on bills by using less tap water!"