Students’ Garden Success at Norfolk Show

A group of students from City College Norwich, all of whom have learning difficulties, are celebrating after being awarded the Silver Gilt medal in the Norwich and Norfolk Horticultural Society garden competition at the Royal Norfolk Show.

The 9 Progressions Horticulture students, from the college’s School of Foundation Studies, under the guidance of lecturer John Attoe, created a very traditional garden for the annual competition.  Their entry was called Golden Celebration and recreates a classic back garden scene, complete with garden shed, an old watering can and items of garden furniture.

The garden competition is open to anyone to enter and attracts professional gardeners and highly accomplished amateurs, ensuring a very high standard.  The competition is judged anonymously by the judges.  This year’s Silver Gilt medal is the best result ever achieved by the college’s students.

The students have been planning the garden throughout their course and a lot of work has gone into its development over the year.  All of the plants have been grown in their greenhouse on the college’s main Ipswich Road campus.  They then had 2 days in which to create their garden at the Norfolk Show.    

Foundation Studies Lectuer, John Attoe, said: “We are all over the moon with this result.  The students and the teaching staff who work with them are really pleased.  It is an incredible achievement for this group of students to have so impressed the judges in a highly professional and competitive competition such as this”.  

Dick Palmer, Principal, City College Norwich said: “I am delighted for the students, whose hard work and skill has produced such a fantastic garden.  This is another example of the way in which City College Norwich works to provide students with learning difficulties or disabilities with opportunities to gain real work skills that can lead to employment”.             

Progressions Horticulture student, Perry Wilson, 20, said: “I am really pleased.  It was worth all the hard work that went into the garden”.

The Progressions Horticulture group who created the garden are: Andrew Barnes, Sam Gallier, Andrew Jarrett, William Page, Scott Potter, Mark Terry, Kevin Vajgrt, Perry Wilson and Sarah Zima.