Wildlife garden wins children's competition
16 July 2010
A nine-year-old girl from a Cambridgeshire primary school has won the chance to have her garden design recreated at Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, former home of TV gardener Geoff Hamilton.
Jasmine Fakolujo, from Eye Primary School in Peterborough, beat more than 250 hopefuls with her design for a children's wildlife garden, featuring a spiral flower trail, a pond-dipping and den-making area and a butterfly corner. The judges said her ideas perfectly incorporated ideas for fun, relaxation and discovering nature. The garden will now be created at the eight-acre Barnsdale site, now run by Geoff's son Nick.
Runners-up were Alice King and Thomas Smith, both 10, from St Mary and St John's Primary School in North Luffenham, Rutland. The many imaginative ideas submitted by children for the competition included tree houses, football pitches, a pool table and a chocolate fountain.
Jasmine wins a bird box and feeder system with video camera to watch nesting birds. She also gets free entry to Barnsdale Gardens, along with her classmates, to watch her design as it develops over the coming months.