Walled Garden wins through
Published Tuesday 6th July 10 in Council - news and information releases news
An eye-catching garden featuring a wall of blooms won Southend Youth Offending Service a prestigious Silver Gilt award at the Hampton Court Flower Show.
Called 'The Walled Garden', the strikingly colourful exhibit was created by around 20 young people aged from 15 to 18 who are involved in the youth justice system.
They started working on the project - which represents aspects of Southend such as the Pier, the foreshore, the Thames Estuary and the town's floral landscaping and parks - last November.
After the Hampton Court Show, the Walled Garden is due to be displayed within the Borough.
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council's Executive Councillor for Children and Learning, Councillor Roger Hadley says: "Congratulations to everyone involved in developing this remarkable exhibit, which took a huge amount of hard work and has won a most impressive accolade.
"We are very proud of the achievements of the Youth Offending Service which has also collected a string of awards with previous entries in the Hampton Court competition.
"The Service uses horticulture to help deliver reparation within the community while giving young people practical skills to help boost their job chances or encourage them towards further education and training.
"This is very important work which aims to help the community and the young people flourish. The exhibit was designed by Tony Wagstaff, Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Worker for the Council's Youth Offending Service, and we are also most grateful for the very helpful assistance of the Council's Parks team."
The Royal Horticultural Society's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is open to the public from Tuesday 6th July until Sunday 11th July. For more details contact: http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2010 or call 0844 338 7524.