Green fingered family win regional prize
A family from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham have been awarded first prize in a gardening competition by house builder Miller Homes that aimed to find the best garden across its 10 developments region-wide.
Kevin and Jill Chatt along with their two children Lauren aged nine and Amy, eight, beat off stiff competition to win with their woodland themed garden, which boasts a fruit and vegetable patch, animal feeders, a water feature and rock garden.
Judged by BBC Newcastle gardening show presenter Marian Foster and Newcastle-based Cowell’s Garden Centre manager Martin Cowell, the family have won £100 worth of plant vouchers and a 4ft acacia garden bench by designer Alexander Rose for their efforts.
Mrs Chatt, who along with her husband Kevin, run their own home improvement business Durham Design said: “We are so thrilled to have won the competition - the children are especially excited as they helped put the vegetable boxes together. The accolade of owning the best garden across all of Miller Homes’ North East developments is something we are very proud of.
“The children have really enjoyed watching the garden grow from an un-turfed piece of land to a beautiful and colourful place they can play and grow their own fruit and vegetables for their packed lunch boxes.
“We take immense pride in our garden, utilising our space by growing a range of wonderful plants, vegetables and fruit full of foliage, with different textures, shapes, and colours.”
Miller Homes launched the competition last month to encourage residents on its developments to roll up their sleeves and make the most of their new gardens. The competition presented an ideal opportunity for home owners to get creative with their garden and see them evolve from a blank canvas to a self-created leisure space.
BBC Newcastle’s Marian Foster said: “We chose Kevin and Jill’s garden because of its beautiful and thoughtful design with good shapes and areas of interest. It has a good choice of plants and an attractive rock garden. Every space is visually interesting.”
Cowell’s Garden Centre manager Martin Cowell said: “All the entries were of a very high standard and I was thrilled to see so many people making the most of their gardens. I hope the bench and vouchers will create even more enjoyment for the family in their beautiful garden.”
Three finalists were chosen from the competition. The second prize of £50 vouchers went to a family who live on Miller Homes’ Heather Lea Green development in Crook and third prize of £20 vouchers was given to a family at The Meadows development in Framwellgate Moor, Durham.
