Tenants and leaseholders recognised in annual garden and creative competitions

Council tenants and leaseholders across Charnwood have been recognised in the annual garden and creative competitions run by Charnwood Borough Council. The Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Colin Hamilton, handed out awards at a special event at Loughborough Town Hall on 10 September.

Garden Competition

The tenant garden competition attracted 36 entries this year, with awards presented across 10 different categories. The categories showcased gardens of all shapes and sizes, from house gardens to flats and small spaces, community gardens, sheltered courts, and fruit and vegetable plots.

Winners included Mick Pipes (Best House First place), Robert Kirk (Best Flat/Use of Small Space First place), and Donna Gudgeon (Best Fruit & Veg First place). The Mills community garden, run by Graham and Victoria Barradell, won first place in the Best Community Garden category. St Paul's Court took first place in the Best Sheltered Court category.

Creative Competition

The creative competition returned for its third year and received 41 entries. Categories included photography, painting and drawing, arts and crafts, and creative writing across five total categories.

All participants in both competitions received high street vouchers in recognition of their efforts.

Judging and Organisation

The garden competition was judged by Councillor Jennifer Tillotson, the Council's lead member for housing, economic development, regeneration and town centres, and Councillor Anne Gray, lead member for waste, open spaces and leisure facilities. Councillor Tillotson also judged the creative competition.

Councillor Tillotson said: "It was wonderful to see so many tenants and leaseholders taking part in this year's competitions and showcasing their talents, creativity and hard work. The garden competition highlighted the pride people take in their outdoor spaces. Councillor Gray and I were both so impressed with all the entries. The same goes for the creative competition, which once again produced a fantastic range of entries across all categories. Congratulations and thank you to all the winners and everyone who took part. The standard was extremely high, and these competitions are a great way to celebrate the skills, imagination and community spirit of our tenants and leaseholders."

The competitions are organised by the Council's customer engagement team to celebrate the talents of tenants and leaseholders, encourage community involvement and recognise the pride people take in their homes and neighbourhoods.

Next Year's Competitions

For more information about next year's competitions, contact the customer engagement team on 01509 634679 or 01509 634955 or by emailing involvement@charnwood.gov.uk.