The results are in… Fair Ways in Bloom 2023

Following 2 weeks of judging Fair Ways in Bloom, we are delighted to announce the winners for 2023. 

Fair Ways in Bloom is an annual, light-hearted and fun, gardening ‘competition’ between homes and services in Fair Ways. The competition is judged by a panel of Fair Ways staff with prizes awarded to the best entries.

This year, the quality of entries was the best to date, and far beyond the judge’s expectations. The standout entries didn’t just focus on flowers, but all sorts of vegetables, pathways, garden seats, outdoor rooms and even sensory items. The involvement and passion that young people and people we support brought to the event was simply amazing and far beyond any expectations!

Congratulations to the Fair Ways in Bloom Champions for 2023, Birch Grove. 

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Based in Wales, this home blew us away with the overwhelming amount of planning and effort they had put into the competition this year. The results of such hard work transformed the once empty garden into an area that could be enjoyed by all staff and young people.

Highlights of this entry included;

• 30 Days Wild entry – This meant the home completed different “wild” activities every day in June.
• Adopting an old telephone box and filling it with flowers to brighten up their local community.
• Creating a pond with a solar-powered water feature which was home to two fish; brought and named by a child at the home.
• A fence painted by a young person that was designed to represent the mountainous environment around them.
• A large flower bed area filled with lots of beautiful flowers, some of which had been donated by local businesses.
• Creating a focal point of the garden with a seating area in a sensory garden surrounded by herbs, vegetables and flowers.
• A beautiful archway decorated with lovely artwork created by the young people.
• Multiple pieces of garden art once again created by young people.
• A kayak filled with flowers, representing in all the amazing work they do with Fair Ways Outdoor Adventures.
• A beach area with messages and a wind chime created by a young person from stones she had collected on beach visits whilst at the home.
• A large bug and hedgehog hotel homemade with recycled wood.
• A large compost area.

And of course, homemade Welsh cakes on arrival while we watched their presentation and read through their very thorough journal on what they had achieved.

Congratulations to all the staff and young people at Birch Grove for their amazing work. 

Stay tuned next week for our summary of Fair Ways in Bloom 2023!