Help us find Britain’s best allotments

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KG readers are among the best gardeners in Britain; many of you tending to your plots come rain or shine, you know the value of growing your own produce and do it to a high standard. We want to find the cream of the crop and invite you to enter our national competition, now in its second year. There are three exciting categories and entering couldn’t be easier. The winners will be featured on the pages of KG and will also receive some super prizes, thanks to our sponsors (see entry form).

THE CATEGORIES

We have three categories again this year, enter as many as you wish. Regular readers will see that one of these has been changed for 2007 to allow entries from single allotmenteers or home gardeners.

The main category is for Britain’s best allotment site and as before we will be looking at all aspects of your site including the general maintenance of the area, cleanliness, evidence of composting and recycling, shops and services, waste disposal provision for non-compostable items and so on. Access roads should be adequate and well maintained as should perimeter fencing and we will also be looking to see whether there is clear demarcation between plots to avoid confusion between neighbouring plot holders.

Well-maintained communal buildings will gain points as will evidence that wildlife is catered for. Sites which show a strong community spirit and co-operation between plot holders will certainly be awarded extra marks.

The second category is for the Best Community Project. Many sites across the country serve the interests of the local community as well as the community of allotment holders that tend to them. For example, some sites have areas set aside for the growing of shared veg by groups of gardeners to produce crops in a cooperative way.

Others provide a place for local schoolchildren or those with special needs to learn about the joys of gardening or for growing crops to supply local protected housing or the elderly. Perhaps your plots have set aside an area for wildlife and encourage the local population to come along and enjoy the delights of your wildlife pond or sanctuary.

If your plots run such schemes then you may well have a chance of winning this category. We had some great entries in this category last year and some have already been featured in the magazine with more to follow.

Finally we have a new category which allows everyone, whether they grow their veggies on an allotment site or in their own back gardens, to enter.

This is for Britain’s best allotment shed or building. Here we are not looking for the best community building, although many smaller sheds certainly do act as a meeting point for members, but for buildings owned, maintained and possibly built by the plot holder, for the plot holder and primarily serving one plot or patch.

This is designed as a fun category that anyone can enter so if your shed doubles as a hideout from your partner or bolthole from the world at large, office, pub or a place where you can express your artistic leanings by painting the walls with murals, then this is the category for you. If you have or know of someone with such a treasure, just fill in the entry form right.

WHAT CAN YOU WIN?

Apart from a special certificate for the winners and runners-up, we have some super prizes on offer for the category winners again this year thanks to our topnotch sponsors. Prizes include Mantis Tillers, top quality tools from Wilkinson Sword and Darlac, a range of seeds from Kings, quality oak cold frames and plant protection prodycts from Haxnicks, instructional gardening DVDs from specialist Dancing Bee, a year’s subscription to KG and last but by no means least a selection of great Chilean wines from Caliterra to celebrate your victory! Plus of course there is the chance of seeing your entry on the pages of Kitchen Garden during 2007/8.

HOW WILL THE COMPETITION BE JUDGED?

The judging panel will be made up of NAGTrust representatives and/or members of the KG editorial team and they will select which sites will go through to the second round of judging, using your initial entries to do so. The second round involves a site visit from a member(s) of the judging panel. They will award points for various aspects of the site and the entry with the highest number of points in each category will be deemed the winner. In the event of a tie, the judges may revisit the sites involved to make further assessment.

* Initial judging will take place throughout July and your representative, or in the case of the Best Shed category, the individual concerned will be contacted to set up a mutually suitable time for the judges to visit. In all circumstances the judges’ decision will be final.

* Please note that overall winners of the three 2006 categories are not eligible to enter those sections in which they were successful. Last year’s runners-up however, may enter any category.

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GIULIA
KG Regular
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 1:45 am
Location: Liverpool

Are you doing this again in 2008? We thought we might have a go this time, as Liverpool is 'capital of culture' for 2008 and all that, and we've had loads of work done and look dead posh like. I seem to recall there's a written/photo thingy to do to enter it, when do you have to do it by? Am I worrying too early? :roll:
Giulia x
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