With the new year just beginning, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is already making the rounds across several schools in the UK to search for the 2013 Young School Gardener.
(prHWY.com) February 14, 2013 - Bristol, United Kingdom -- UK residents are now shifting towards a lifestyle that promotes environmental awareness within the community, and such behaviour is being encouraged among the British youth. That is why the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has created the Young School Gardener award to honour a particular student whose eco-friendly works have greatly contributed to his or her school and neighbourhood. This year, the search is already heating up as the RHS is giving a call to arms towards schools to nominate worthy pupils for the annual prize.
The competition aims to seek out the most talented, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic student with an aptitude for gardening. It is open to all schools in the United Kingdom that are affiliated with the RHS Campaign for School Gardening programme, of which there are nearly 16,500 academic institutions under the scheme. The award is also aimed at schoolchildren up to the age of 16. The campaign was founded back in 2007 to promote the benefits of gardening and horticulture as a teaching tool for students. Since its inception, the programme has gained strong support from affiliated schools.
For a potential student to qualify for the prize, teachers and other adults associated with the school can nominate a him/her online through the official website of the RHS. The shortlist of finalists will then be announced and videos will be created to strengthen the nominations and boost the nominees' chances of claiming the award. These videos will be juged by a panel of experts who include Peter Seabrook, gardening editor of The Sun, and celebrity TV gardener, David Domoney.
2012 winner Lucas Hatch from Suffolk earned the title through his enthusiasm, knowledge, and flair for all things green and growing. The prize included a gardening voucher worth £500 given to Hatch's school, St. Mary's Primary School, while he and his family also received tickets to see the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show slated for this year. Education and learning head of the institution, Sarah Cathcart, said, "Lucas has had a brilliant year and despite being on TV, in the papers and interviewed on radio, success hasn't gone to his head and most of the time he's still outdoors doing what he loves best - gardening and growing plants."
The winner of the RHS Young School Gardener of the Year for 2013 will be announced on the 12th of July.
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Green's Horticulture was founded in 2003 with the aim of bringing alternative gardening techniques to the mainstream horticulture market. We supply innovative, specialist growing equipment to an expanding customer base across the UK and Europe.
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