Community garden is blooming beautiful

A resident of Chesnut Grove, Brotton, was recognized for his efforts to transform an unused open space into a community garden when he won an annual gardening competition organized by Coast & Country Housing.

Joe Hickson’s hard work won him £100 in vouchers, a trophy and certificate, which were presented by the RSL’s chief executive Iain Sim.

He said: “The quality of the entries in this year’s competition was very high. However, Mr Hickson was a clear winner. He truly deserves to be applauded for the creativity and hard work he has put in to transforming a grassed area into a wonderfully idyllic setting that the area’s residents can all enjoy,

“Mr Hickson’s enthusiasm and commitment certainly shows through his well-presented garden, and also demonstrates his wealth of horticultural knowledge as well as an awareness of the environment.”

Hickson’s garden was described as a space that is environmentally-friendly, makes the maximum use of the space, is planted with a colorful array of plants and flowers and which demonstrates a high standard of gardening knowledge and skill.

Its features include bird tables, a dovecote, breeding boxes for birds and bats, a planted pond, flowering shrubs as well as a wildlife area that is a haven for an array of insects.