The stunning elite show garden entry The HESCO Garden 2010, produced by the council’s Parks and Countryside staff with engineering design and support from sponsors HESCO Bastion Limited, wowed the judges and visitors alike to earn the highest-ranking level of award at the prestigious event in London.
The gold medal is a first for Leeds at Chelsea after earning two successive Silver Gilt Flora awards in the last two years and either silver or bronze category awards with their five other previous show gardens dating back to their first appearance at Chelsea in 1997.
Reacting to the gold medal award, Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Andrew Carter said:
“This is a day we have all dreamed of since Leeds first started coming to Chelsea – competing with the best in the world and winning a gold medal.
“It is an absolutely fantastic achievement for the city of Leeds and we are all delighted beyond words. Congratulations go to the whole Parks and Countryside team and we must say a huge thank you to our sponsors HESCO Bastion for their invaluable support. The garden looks absolutely incredible and everyone who worked so hard on it thoroughly deserves this success.”
The HESCO Garden 2010 is the largest and most ambitious garden design entered by Leeds at Chelsea, modelled on a section of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal complete with a canal and full-sized lock gates as the centrepiece which the organisers the RHS have confirmed is the first time such a water feature has ever appeared at Chelsea.
The theme of garden is to celebrate the green linkages which connect the city centre to the countryside in and around Leeds, as well as the importance of protecting the local environment and raising awareness of the proven health benefits green spaces provide.
The symbolic use of the canal and lock gates is a reflection of the industrial past of the city, when the Leeds-Liverpool waterway was used as a key transport route. The lock gates are also flanked by three distinct sections – woodland, wetland and a floral meadow – which can all be found in green spaces in Leeds.
Maintaining the Yorkshire flavour the garden has been produced using locally-sourced materials from the region, with all the plants and flowers being grown in Leeds and HESCO products providing the structural framework for the garden.
Leeds City Council executive member for Leisure Councillor John Procter said:
“This gold medal award is the result of a massive collective team effort going right back to the first garden in 1997 so everyone who has been involved in any of our gardens can feel very proud today.
“This year’s garden is just amazing – everyone who sees it has the same stunned look on their face and the lock gates have been the centre of attention since the moment they were put in place which has been great to see. We are all delighted with this result.”
The HESCO Garden 2010 is on display all week in the elite show garden category alongside gardens designed by some of the biggest names in the horticulture industry.
The event, held annually in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in London, attracts over 150,000 visitors from all over the globe as well as receiving extensive coverage from the world’s media.
On Monday’s press day, The HESCO Garden 2010 was visited by a host of celebrities including Dame Helen Mirren, Piers Morgan, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Nick Knowles, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Biggins, Lesley Joseph, Linda Barker, Sarah Greene, Moira Stewart and Jennie Bond.
In addition to raising the profile of the city, entering a show garden at Chelsea also allows the council’s Parks and Countryside staff to pit their wits against the finest garden designers in the world, learning new skills and techniques which are then used every day to improve green spaces all over Leeds.
Sponsors and project partners HESCO Bastion, a Leeds-based company who are world-leading manufacturers of products used in civil engineering, said:
"HESCO would like to congratulate the Leeds City Council team for their exceptional creativity, hard work and determination to deliver a winning garden for 2010. It has been a pleasure to work with the team to provide the engineering framework for a garden which spectacularly marries engineering and landscape design.
"Leeds has a long-held reputation for engineering excellence dating back to the industrial revolution; this year’s garden focuses on these engineering developments of the past, and the present, all of which contribute to the vibrancy of Leeds. HESCO is proud that our products carry on Leeds’ engineering tradition for innovation and design. Well done Leeds!"
Young people in Leeds have also played their part in The HESCO Garden 2010, as pupils from local primary schools have taken part in a special education project and competition to help them learn about the value and importance of protecting green spaces.
Of the seven previous Chelsea gardens, four can now be visited by the public at sites in the city. To find out all the latest news on The HESCO Garden 2010, visit the website at www.leedsatchelsea.com or follow the garden on Twitter at http://twitter.com/leedsatchelsea
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