Myerscough prepare Show Gardens for Southport Flower Show

The prestigious annual event next month will once again see Myerscough College bring to life the two winning entries in the annual Schools Design-a-Garden Competition. The competition is for junior school pupils in years 3, 4, 5 and 6, with a bumper year of entries from across the region.

The aim of the competition was to design an attractive, eco-friendly garden, incorporating the use of plants, colours, recycled matter – and a lot of imagination.

The two winners are Misha Kamran, from Tonacliffe Primary in Rochdale, and Sophie Steer, from Helmshore Primary in Rossendale.

The winning designs will now be built into ‘real’ gardens for the Southport Flower Show by Myerscough College's work-based staff and apprentices. Entrants were asked to design a 6m x 6m garden with eco-friendly features which encourage the use of recycled materials, with the theme of ‘Once Upon a Time’.

The paper designs were judged by a team of garden specialists and horticulturalists and the two winning designs, together with 10 runners-up, selected. The two winning gardens will now be constructed in time for this year’s Southport Flower Show, which runs from 16th -19th August.

The two winning designers, their families and their teachers will be invited to the show for the presentation. The winners will each receive a £50 cash prize and their schools will receive a £500 Bents voucher to enhance their grounds. The 10 runners-up, with families and teachers, will also be invited to the show and will receive a £50 Bents voucher for their school grounds.

After the prizes and certificates are presented during the event, the gardens will be on display during the rest of the show and always receive a great deal of attention from the tens of thousands of visitors who attend every year.

Ray Roukin, general manager at Southport Flower Show said: "The idea behind the competition is to encourage children to learn about garden design and eco-friendly gardening."

For tickets to the show, please visit www.southportflowershow.co.uk