Capel Manor College has achieved a silver award at the Young Gardeners of the Year Awards 2016, part of the Ideal Home Show in Olympia, London.
Capel's Wellbeing Yoga Retreat Garden was designed by current Garden Design student Muriel Bates and created by Capel's horticulture apprentices. The garden is a haven of lush planting, secluded elements and striking features.
Muriel says: "I'm overjoyed at this amazing opportunity to see my design come to life, whilst working with such a professional and enthusiastic team! The hard work was recognised with a silver for Capel, and moreover the whole team are absolutely thrilled with the finished garden."
The annual Ideal Young Gardeners of the Year awards are organised by TV gardener David Domoney in association with The Prince's Foundation for Building Community. The awards celebrate young "˜green' talent by challenging students from the UK's top landscaping and horticultural colleges to design and build (in just six days) stunning and sustainable show gardens.
"Working together achieves so much more than working on your own and this garden is a celebration of the team work which underpins everything Capel Manor College does." explains Steve Dowbiggin OBE, Principal at Capel. "It was created by a garden design student and built and planted by our own apprentices – it even uses wood felled and planked by our students. It also celebrates what a wonderful industry horticulture is – not only a great and satisfying career but also bringing such enjoyment and peace to others. Well done the Capel team."
The judging panel included leading figures of the horticultural, design and media industries, including TV Gardener Alan Titchmarsh, Simon Sadinsky from The Prince's Foundation for Building Community, Carol Paris, Chief Executive of the Horticultural Trades Association and Deborah Stone, former Chairman of the Garden Media Guild.
The show gardens aim to inspire visitors to the Ideal Home Show with ideas they can try at home. The Ideal Home Show runs until Sunday, 3 April 2016 at London Olympia.
