A huge welcome to this year’s Colchester School Garden Competition at Culver Square. We are so excited to have you involved.
Now in its 5th year, the competition continues to grow, with over 500,000 people passing through Culver Square last year and experiencing the incredible school gardens on display. This year, we’re back even bigger, with 10 more amazing school gardens, including some fantastic new schools joining us.
This year’s theme is inspired by the World Cup and countries around the world. It’s a brilliant opportunity to get creative, explore different cultures, and bring global inspiration into your garden design.
Although I won’t be able to visit your school in person this year, I’m really pleased to introduce our new online hub. This space is here to support you throughout your journey, with resources, ideas, and the opportunity to get in touch whenever you need help or advice.
We can’t wait to see what you create and to celebrate your gardens in the heart of Colchester.
Let’s make this the best year yet!
This year’s theme is all about the World Cup, celebrating countries from across our planet. It’s up to you which country you choose to represent, but we do ask that all gardens remain non-political and respectful, as this is a celebration of cultures and places from across the world. From Cornwall in England to the mountains of Japan, there’s so much inspiration to explore.
Alongside the main theme, we would still love to see some fantastic water-saving ideas within your garden, as well as creative ways to attract pollinators. These elements always stand out to both our judges and the visitors who will be voting for their favourites!
Below are two videos for you to watch.
The first is for you, as the teacher, and gives a full overview and explanation of this year’s project.
The second is a video to share in class or assembly, designed to get your pupils excited and ready to take part in this year’s event.
Below, I’ve broken down the key parts of the project along with the most important dates.
If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, I’m always happy to help.
Plant-Up Day Information
The plant-up day will take place on Tuesday 14th July between 9:00am and 12:00pm.
Parking is available underneath Culver Square. For this event, there is a dedicated entrance opposite the Wetherspoons Playhouse (postcode: CO2 7AD).
Please make sure you submit your car registration using the link below to secure your parking space.
When you arrive, you’ll be able to unload all plants and materials, and our team will be on hand with trolleys to help you transport everything via the lifts up to Culver Square, where your raised beds (and myself!) will be ready.
You’ll then have the full morning to build your garden with your class. We recommend bringing between 3–10 children to take part in the build.
Filming & Photography
Throughout the morning, there will be filming and photography taking place to help promote the gardens over the summer holidays. Please ensure that all children attending have the appropriate permissions to be included in any filming or photography. We’ll also be capturing interviews and moments from your build during this time.
Beehive Visits 🐝
For those who have taken part before, you may remember that Dave from Culver Square offers the chance to visit the beehives on the roof. If you would like your group to take part, please indicate this in the link above. I’ll do my best to ensure that every school who wants to visit gets a time slot.
Judging
That afternoon, the judges and I will visit each garden.
For the first time ever, we will be awarding:
🥇 1st Place
🥈 2nd Place
🥉 3rd Place
These prizes will be presented on the awards day.
Public Voting
From Friday 17th July - 1st September, voting will open for the People’s Choice Award.
This is your chance to get your whole school involved. Posters are attached below for you to share with your classes and community to help promote your garden and encourage votes. Winner will be announced in September.
A new addition this year… the gardens will be officially judged, with awards for:
🥇 1st Place
🥈 2nd Place
🥉 3rd Place
To find out which schools take the top spots, we’ll be hosting a festival celebration event on Saturday 25th July at Culver Square.
You don’t have to attend, but we’d absolutely love to see you there. It’s going to be a brilliant day for everyone involved.
Awards will be announced at 12pm, so make sure you’re there in time if you can!
Throughout the day, there will also be: Free activities for children, Giveaways, A fun, interactive atmosphere for families and schools
The People’s Choice Award will still be open and will run all the way through until 1st September, giving you plenty of time to get your school and community involved in voting.
We’d love you and your school to come along, celebrate your hard work, and enjoy a fantastic day together.
From 1st September, the gardens will be carefully taken down and moved to the area underneath Culver Square.
We kindly ask that from this date, you arrange a time to come and collect your plants and materials.
Thanks to the support of the Culver Square team, your gardens should still be looking fantastic and ready to be transported back to your school to continue growing in your own space.
Please note, this is an essential part of the project, and we won’t be able to award any prizes without collections being completed. Please collect your plants and materials only, as we will reuse the Vegtrugs next year.
We really appreciate your cooperation and support with this
Final Note
That just leaves me to say a huge thank you for being part of this year’s Colchester School Garden Competition, and a very warm welcome to all the new schools joining us this year.
Below, you’ll find a direct contact link to me for any questions you may have. We want to make this as easy and enjoyable as possible for you, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.
The next time I’ll see you will be on 14th July for the plant-up day. You’ll also receive an email at the start of July to confirm your attendance.
As always, your reply to this email is very much appreciated.
Thank you so much,
Lee Connelly