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12 Finalists go for gold in public vote for the RHS Olympic Park Great British Garden competition

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 29 September 2009

STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 01 OCTOBER 2009

29/09/2009

Twelve talented amateur gardeners from across the UK will be hoping to win gold as the public vote for the ‘RHS Olympic Park Great British Garden Competition’ kicks off today.

Run in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the competition invited green-fingered Brits to design a quarter acre garden in the London 2012 Olympic park expressing the unique qualities of a British domestic garden.

Six finalists from each age range, 16 and under and over 17, have been shortlisted through to the final round. For the next month the public will be able to vote for the design that they would like to see on the park during and after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by logging onto: http://www.rhs.org.uk/Competitions/Great-British-Garden-Competition

The winners from each category will then work with the world class team designing the London 2012 parklands to design a great British Garden that will be in bloom during the Games and remain in legacy.

The winning garden will showcase one of the UK’s favourite pastimes and commemorate the Much Wenlock Olympian Society in Shropshire, whose games inspired Pierre de Coubertin to found the modern Olympic movement.

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said:

“It was exciting to see so many good entries for what is a unique chance for the general public to shape part of the Olympic Park. The winners will help design a Great British Garden on the Olympic park, but it’s the public who pick the winners. The final shortlist reflects the traditions and quirks of British gardens, from Tudor roses to garden gnomes but they are all very different designs. I can’t wait to see what the British public decide.”

Inga Grimsey, Director General of the RHS, said:

“The standard of entries we received was incredible and just goes to prove that people’s passion for gardening is alive and well.”

Olympic Delivery Authority Chairman John Armitt said:

“This is a great opportunity for the public to have their say on part of the new park that will form a green backdrop and festival atmosphere for the London 2012 Games and in legacy become the UK’s largest new urban park in over a century.”

Olympic Delivery Authority project sponsor for Parklands and Public Realm John Hopkins said:

“There were some great ideas for the garden and the judges had a tough time short-listing down to twelve. We can’t wait to get to work with the winners and our designers to develop the winning ideas within the stunning parklands we are about to start building.”

Short-listed entries in the 16 years and under category are:

Ben Rubin-Moberg, aged 7 from Reigate. Ben’s design mixes traditional British plants and trees like elderflowers and roses with invented activities such as the ‘Canoe trail’, a special canoe on a rail that children can peddle around the garden’s pond.Hannah Clegg, aged 10 from Malmesbury. Hannah’s design includes Olympic treasures such as tree of golden acorns as well as orchards and vegetable patches.Tanya Ward, aged 14 from Rugby. Tanya has designed a ‘secret garden’ with hidden benches, wild-flowers and a pond designed to attract wildlife.James Callicott, aged 15 from Prestwood. James’ garden is design is based upon the Tudor rose but includes flowers from across the globe such as lavender from Portugal and Edelweiss from Austria to symbolise nations joining together to take part in the Olympics.Skandan Sithamparanathan, aged 13 from Rochester. Skandan’s design is a ‘united wheel’ surrounded by a small river and paths that reflect the Olympic rings.Harriet Smith aged 7 from Hadleigh. Harriet’s garden is full of blooming flowers, wildlife and rabbits with a tent at the centre for people to hide in and watch the animals.

Shortlisted entrants in the 17 years and over category are:

Emma Graham from Ipswich whose great-grandfather won a gold and silver medal for Great Britain in the 1908 London Games. Emma’s garden uses the Olympic rings as the inspiration for her design, with areas of flowers, herbs and plants traditionally found in the UK. Rachel Read from Colchester. Rachel’s ‘perpetual garden’ design features a spiral time line that includes traditional flowers and has a series of plaques naming each British Olympic gold medallist since 1908.Susan Summers from Winchester. Susan’s garden is split into four areas to represent different experiences of the Olympics; the on-looker, participating, training and success. Joanne Slade from Chelmsford. Joanne’s concept is based around the ‘Ekecheiria truce’ that saw ancient Greeks suspend wars and rivalries to take part in the Olympics. It is designed to be a place of peace and tranquillity for visitors.Sian Astintgton from Crewe. Sian’s garden references the London 2012 logo and is designed to be in bloom all year round. It includes traditional British flowers and sights such as scare-crows and greenhouses. Angela Jones from Carshalton Beeches. Angela’s garden uses objects and items found in thousands of gardens across the UK to recreate a domestic garden including a pond, children’s play-area, lawn, shed and even a couple of Olympics-inspired garden gnomes!

The inspiration for the modern Olympic Games can be traced back to British doctor, William Penny Brookes who held the first Much Wenlock ‘Olympian Games’ in 1850. It was after a visit to Much Wenlock in 1890 that Pierre de Coubertin, the founding father of the modern Olympic Games, was convinced to organise the 1896 inaugural Olympic Games in Athens. All entrants were asked to consider opportunities to incorporate a ‘de Coubertin’ Oak tree, currently being grown in Kew from seedlings taken from an oak tree de Coubertin planted himself in Much Wenlock, into their garden design.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The public is able to vote for their favourite garden until midnight on October 30th.

2. Images of each design and contact details of selected entrants are available upon request. Please contact Sally Aldous, Olympics Desk, DCMS Press Office on 020 7211 6145 or sally.aldous@culture.gsi.gov.uk for further details.

3. In 2012 the Olympic Games return to London. The Olympic Park in east London will provide the focus for the Games with the main stadium and several other venues arranged around the spectacular parklands either side of the rivers and waterways within the Park. The Parklands, which will remain in legacy for all the public to enjoy, bring together the great British tradition and passion for landscape and garden design, plant collecting and gardening

4. Entrants were asked to outline their idea for the garden a written/typed A4 sheet of paper - including its inspiration, a broad-brush out-line of the type of plants, flowers, trees, features and furniture used. Entrants were also asked to submit a layout of their design with the entry form.

5. Entrants were free to use whatever plants, flowers and trees they feel reflect a British Garden. Seating and water features could also be incorporated into the design.

6. The winners will work with the team of world-class landscape architects and garden designers of the Olympic Park parklands.

7. The competition is part of the London 2012 Inspire programme. The London 2012 Inspire programme is an opportunity for everyone to be a part of the London 2012 Games; a broad participation programme spanning sport participation, medal table performance development, culture, education, sustainability, business skills and volunteering. New opportunities are being created to inspire young people and encourage the whole of the UK to join in.

8. The garden will be part of over 100 hectares of open space that will be created in the Olympic Park - the largest urban park created in Europe for 150 years, which will include 45 hectares of wildlife habitat. It will use the latest green techniques to manage flood and rain water while providing quieter public space and habitats for hundreds of existing and rare species from kingfishers to otters.

9. For further information please call Sally Aldous, Olympics Desk, DCMS Press Office on 020 7211 6145, Georgina Webb, Royal Horticultural Society Press Office on 020 7821 3044 or Ben Hurley, Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on 0203 2012 620.

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Contacts:

DCMS Press Enquiries and Out of hours telephone pager
Phone: 020 7211 6263
Mobile: 07699 751153
NDS.DCMS@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Sally Aldous.
Phone: 020 7211 6145
sally.aldous@culture.gsi.gov.uk