Blue Diamond Garden Centres' Community Garden Competition - One Year On
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The Blue Diamond Group of Garden Centres offered financial support to five community garden projects in the UK, when they launched their Community Garden Competition in June 2024.
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5 Winners were selected and collectively awarded £10,000 worth of plants and garden care products along with up to six hours of expert help and advice to get their community garden projects started.
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Now the gardens are complete, Blue Diamond reflect on how the 5 winning community gardens have benefited their communities 12 months on.
Blue Diamond Garden Centres set out to bring the joy of the great outdoors to the heart of communities across the UK by supporting local groups in creating or revitalising community gardens.
To make this vision a reality, Blue Diamond launched a nationwide competition, offering £10,000 worth of plants and garden care products - shared equally among five winning community gardens. Each project also received six hours of expert horticultural advice to help them get off to a flourishing start.
Following an overwhelming number of inspiring entries, five winners were chosen. Over the past year, Blue Diamond has followed their journeys - celebrating how this support has transformed their gardens and enriched their local communities.
Newton Abbot Centre Association
This community project was paired with Blue Diamond’s, Fermoy’s Garden Centre.
Newton Abbot Centre Association is a registered charity dedicated to running The Courtenay Centre – a much-loved community hub at the heart of Newton Abbot, Devon. The centre hosts a wide range of local groups and activities, provides space for community events, and is home to a welcoming café offering affordable food. It also runs a community fridge to share surplus food with local residents and organises a variety of support groups and wellbeing activities.
With the help of funding from Blue Diamond Garden Centres, The Courtenay Centre enhanced its outdoor space by purchasing plants for a decorative bath feature, along with herbs, vegetables, and additional plants to brighten other areas of the garden. They also added bird feeders, bird food, and seasonal flower seeds to encourage wildlife and colour throughout the year.
Pictured are (L-R) Steve Garlick; Newton Abbot Allotment Association, Linda Robson-Burrell; Newton Abbot Seed Library, Emily Farrell; Newton Abbot CIC, Kylie Dawe; Newton Abbot Centre Association, Emma Dawe; Newton Abbot CIC and Olivia Walker, Newton Abbot Centre Association.
John Addy, Chair of Trustees, Newton Abbot Centre Association said; -
"Newton Abbot Centre Association were delighted to have been selected as a winner of this competition for our new community garden at The Courtenay Centre. The support of an expert and the funding have enabled us to complete our community garden works. The garden is now a space where people can enjoy much needed rest and relaxation. For those looking to learn or use their 'green fingered' skills, there is an opportunity to volunteer to support the maintenance of the garden. By connecting with the various youth activities at The Courtenay Centre, we hope to inspire the younger generation to get involved and develop a love of plants that lasts a lifetime."
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Step Together Volunteering - Get Growing Project
This community project was paired with Blue Diamond’s, Cadbury Garden Centre.
This community “Get Growing” project is based at an allotment in South Bristol. Established in 2021 in response to the pandemic, when people needed a safe space to meet with young people, it is now an integral part of the service offered for young people facing multiple disadvantages in Bristol. The community group run sessions for young people twice a week where they can come together in small groups and develop:
- Confidence, self-esteem, motivation, and aspirations.
- Work-related skills such as communication, reliability, team working.
- Knowledge about growing produce, cooking, healthy lifestyles, and project planning.
The space supports 16–25-year-olds and serves as a “safe” place where they feel connected to their local community, where they can explore their interests and learn about the land and environment around them.
Mel Head - Project Manager and Get Growing Allotment Lead said:
"Winning the competition has been transformational for the Step Together “Get Growing” young people’s allotment. It has allowed us access to equipment and plants, that as a small charity, we would not have been able to have afford. This has made growing fruit, vegetables and plants easier and more productive. In turn, this allows the young people to experience different fruit/veg/plants than they are used to and to learn new skills. Going forward, it will make the site much easier to manage, allowing us to spend more time doing the thing we love – growing!
Meeting the Team from Cadbury Garden Centre has also been important as not only does it encourage our clients to engage with new people, but it has helped them to feel that they are worth investing in. Just this morning, I received a message from one of the groups, asking if the team from Cadbury had been to visit and what they thought of the work the group had done. The involvement from Cadbury has helped them to feel pride in their volunteering work”.
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Kingshurst Community Garden
This community project was paired with Blue Diamond’s Melbick’s Garden Centre.
The purpose of this community group is to foster a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes local engagement. They aim to enhance the well-being of their community through various initiatives, including educational programs, social events, and volunteer opportunities. By encouraging active participation and open days, they strive to address local issues, support sustainable development, and strengthen community bonds. The group serves as a hub for residents to connect, share resources, and work together towards common goals, contributing to a vibrant, resilient, and thriving community garden.
Lee Browning from the Kinghurst Parish Council said:
"We are absolutely thrilled and honoured that the Kingshurst Community Garden was selected as one of the winners in the Blue Diamond Garden Centres’ competition. This recognition truly celebrates the dedication and passion of our residents and volunteers in transforming our green space into a vibrant, sustainable community asset.
Over the past year, we have worked hard to transform what was once an overgrown area into a flourishing pollinators’ garden to support our community beehives. Thanks to the generous support from Blue Diamond and the valuable advice provided, we have been able to use the winnings to plant a wide variety of pollinator-friendly plants, bushes, and fruit trees.
The garden is now a space enjoyed by all ages and stands as a lasting tribute to what community spirit, expert advice, and a little support can achieve.
Thank you again for your generosity and for inspiring communities like ours to grow together”.
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Friends of Holbrook Charity
This community project was paired with Blue Diamond’s Newbridge Nurseries Garden Centre.
The objectives of the Friends of Holbrook group are to encourage the development of the community of the school, and the school within the wider community; to engage in activities which will benefit the school and all its members; to purchase equipment and books to benefit pupils’ education.
Dawn Filson (Year 5 Teacher and Eco Council lead) said:
“We were very grateful to a parent and representative of our Friends of Holbrook PTA, Kristina Schraitel, for entering the Blue Diamond’s Community Garden Competition. Being one of the 5 winners has made a huge difference to our project. Over the past year, we have used our competition winnings to buy plants, furniture, paint, animal decorations and feeders for the garden. We spent the money on items that the children said they wanted to have in the garden.
Like many schools, the project would not have been possible without the kindness and goodwill of parents, staff and local organisations, including Newbridge Nurseries Garden Centre. Kristina has put a lot of work into the project, especially planting the numerous plants we have purchased, and our older children have also helped lay wood chippings to create a walkable path.
In May, we were finally able to open the garden back up to the children. They can use it during breaktimes and have reported back to our Eco Council that they particularly like the animal statues, flowers and new bird hide.
One of the most rewarding aspects of overseeing the project has been the kindness of the local community. People have offered advice or physical labour for free, and we really appreciate that. In addition, I have already seen the positive effect it has had for the children. Many enjoy the peace of the garden at breaktimes and also during lessons too - it really is a peaceful haven”.
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Transition Town Wellington
This community project was paired with Blue Diamond’s Blackdown Garden Centre.
The aim of this community group is to help their town become more self-sufficient as a reaction to the climate and ecological crises. Part of their work is to create community gardens in public spaces in the town with food for residents to pick for free, including fruit, nuts, vegetables and herbs. These spaces are managed to increase biodiversity and soil health to benefit nature as well as people. The group welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to join our group in the “transition” to a low carbon society.
TTW's team of enthusiastic volunteers in the forest garden, with Tonedale Mill in the background. Left to right: Eileen Mitchell, Dot Lowday, Anita Roy (kneeling), Adrian Howe, Chris Barratt, Milly Howe, Justine Goff, Lauren Simpson, Stephen Gregory (Greg), and Diana Fox.
Helen Kington Project Manager said:
“Thanks to Blue Diamond for their financial support and help in enabling us to create a new area of our Forest Garden at Fox’s Field.
We started with some essential tools such as forks, trowels, secateurs and gloves and lots of bulbs which provided some welcome early nectar for our pollinators. We then planted some soft fruit, asparagus crowns and rhubarb.
Two more great additions in the early spring were the benches. Nothing is more important in a community garden than somewhere for visitors to sit! The bigger bench sits with a fantastic view of Fox’s Factory, and the smaller bench has a view of a flowerbed with lots of Geums and Lupins. Lupins are just one of the nitrogen fixing plants that we added in spring, as well as the Broom Indigo which we were really pleased to find at Blackdown Garden Centre.
We added lots of herbs for our forest garden: sage, thyme and rosemary forming part of the shrub layer and planted mint, garlic chives, pulmonaria, wild garlic, oregano and golden marjoram forming groundcover under the trees.
We added some perennial cut flowers including Coreopsis and Dahlias and received perhaps the most important tool in our dry summer - a hose!”
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Blue Diamond would like to thank all who entered this competition and wish all community projects success in the future.
Blue Diamond would also like to thank its suppliers, Evergreen, Westland and Gardena, who since Blue Diamond announced the competition, have come forward to offer additional product support to each of the winners.
