“Spring is sprung, the grass has riz,” according to poet Ogden Nash, so what better time than the first day of spring (20 March) to declare that entries to the 2024 Hull City Council’s Tenants Gardening Competition are open.
Since the competition launched in 2017 it has gone from strength to strength, with the number of entries increasing every year. The competition offers trophies in four categories: Best Individual Garden; Best Communal Garden; Best ECO Garden and Best Container Garden. Entrants compete against each other in their home area – west Hull, north Hull, and east Hull. Then all the winners go into a grand final to choose the overall citywide winner for each category.
Graham Pettigill from Cladshaw, a keen vegetable grower and last year’s winner of Best ECO Garden category encourages people to get involved, not only for the pure enjoyment of gardening but for other benefits too. He says “You can’t beat the taste of a freshly dug potato or tomato straight from the bush! I use chillis and brambles to make my own jams. There’s a sense of achievement, and these days you’re getting them much cheaper than at the shops. Since I got keen on gardening, I’ve met lots of new people, I feel fitter and it’s a real stress buster too.”
The competition is exclusively for Hull City Council tenants and they can request an entry form by email from tenant.resident@hullcc.gov.uk or telephone (01482) 612 010. Entries close on Friday 31 May.
Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Housing said:
“It’s just fantastic what horticultural treats our tenants create each year and the blaze of colour they bring to our neighbourhoods. What’s more, you don’t have to be an expert gardener to enter, so whatever the size of your patch, container, or communal garden there’s scope for everyone to get involved and help make Hull that bit more brighter.”
