Three unique wheelbarrow displays designed by Birmingham-based school children were awarded ‘Best in Show’ at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live.
St James’ Catholic Primary School in Rednal won the public over with its ‘Garden of Hope’ wheelbarrow, featuring plants and flowers that pollinators love, including delphinium, freesias and cornflowers.
Balsall Common Primary School and Fox Hollies SEN School were voted the Primary and Secondary school winners of Health for Life®’s annual wheelbarrow competition, on the theme of ‘Food and Climate Mitigation’, by an esteemed panel of gardening expert judges at the event.
The winning primary school wheelbarrow, designed by Balsall Common Primary School and named ‘Forage for Health’, featured plants foraged by a team of children from in and around the school’s grounds, including wild garlic and wild strawberries.
Fox Hollies SEN School impressed the judges in the secondary school category, with their ‘Vegan Pizza’ wheelbarrow, designed using plant-based ingredients to create a delicious meal without any animal products.
A record 19,800 votes were cast throughout BBC Gardeners’ World Live for the public vote, and visitors to the show enjoyed a total of 47 different wheelbarrow displays.
The annual wheelbarrow contest is a feature of Health for Life, an award-winning, evidence-based partnership programme which promotes fun activities that engage people in growing food, physical activity, healthy eating and cookery. Funded by Mondelēz International, since 2011, it is delivered through schools and to the wider community in Birmingham by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and Services For Education.
Tom Allport, Assistant Head Teacher at Fox Hollies SEN School, commented: “We’re so pleased to hear the fantastic news that our students won this year’s wheelbarrow competition, what an amazing achievement! Our students are so proud to see their hard work recognised, and we look forward to taking part again in the future.”
Kelly Farrell, Community Affairs Manager at Mondelēz International, said: “It’s been another fantastic year for Health for Life’s annual school wheelbarrow competition, with some truly incredible entries.
“We loved seeing the creativity and consideration all the participating schools put into their designs, and we’d like to express our congratulations to this year’s deserving winners!”
For more information about Health for Life, visit www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/health-for-life/
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