THE borough’s best and most dedicated gardeners picked up awards last night for all their hard work helping make Ealing a brighter place.
Awards and prize money were handed out to winners of 18 different categories of Ealing in Bloom 2014, from balconies to whole neighbourhood efforts, by the borough’s mayor Tej Ram Bagha.
Cynthia Haliburn of Kent Gardens, North Ealing, was shocked to find her and her partner Ron Keefe had won the top prize in three different categories: Best Improved Garden, Best Large Garden and the Judges’ Special Award for the best overall garden.
She said: “It’s amazing. I only thought we were going to get a certificate or something, I wasn’t prepared to be going home with three trophies. I walked here, I think I might need to get a taxi back. I enjoy it, every spare minute we’ve got is spent on the garden. I can lose myself for hours.”
Debbie and Peter Fogarty, of Lilac Gardens in South Ealing were delighted to receive the prize for Best Small Allotment Plot for the second year in a row for their corner of Village Park Allotments after only entering last year. Asked for her secret, Mrs Fogarty said: “It’s all the love and attention we give it and that we absolutely love the time we spend down on the allotment.”
Sue Titterington and Marian Ciubotar took the prize for the Licensed Premises category for the Rose and Crown Pub in South Ealing, having only taken over as landlords in April. It is the first time the pub has won the category since 1998.
Ms Titterington said: “We didn’t expect to win, we were just happy to take part but coming first is absolutely brilliant. We grow our own vegetables. Marian is the head chef and we’re hoping to use them in our cooking soon.”
Other first place winners announced at the awards ceremony at Ealing Town Hall included Oldfield Primary school which won the Schools’ Competition, Andrew and Kristina Webb in the Front Gardens Competition, Benard Avenue in Northfields which took the Neighbourhood Award, Meadow House Hospice in the Commercial Premises category, Oldfield Allotments in Large Allotment Site, Braund Avenue in Small Allotment Site and Councillor Nigel Sumner and his wife Lynne for Large Allotment Plot.
In the Floral Art Competition Iver Flower Club took the Flower Clubs Shield, while Peter Bodnar took the Individual Cup.
Ealing in Bloom’s committee chairman Nigel Sumner celebrated the borough winning the London Garden Society's Wakefield Cup this year for the quality of gardens across the borough, displaying it to the guests.
Summing up the Ealing in Bloom competition, he said: “It was a wonderful, wonderful competition with a very high calibre of entrants from allotments through to back gardens.”
