Eight Witney schools entered the Witney Town Council 2021 Schools Challenge. Each school received a wheelbarrow and compost, supported by our contractor ‘Continental Landscapes’ and Witney Town Council provided vouchers for each school to choose seeds or plants to fill the barrows with a planted display.

Nationally, at their shows this year, the Royal Horticultural Society adopted the theme ‘Power of Flowers’. The theme reflects the positive impact of plants on our health and wellbeing and we invited school children to adopt this theme for their planting scheme. There was no obligation to follow a colour scheme, or theme – original, children led designs were encouraged.

We were hugely impressed by the beautiful entries and all of the barrows were looking wonderful, right on time  for judging day. Our Schools Challenge judges were Mayor of Witney – Joy Aitman, Senior Vice President of Witney Rotary Club – Coleen Hunter, and Thames and Chiltern region Royal Horticultural Society ‘In Bloom’ judges, Nigel Bishop and Paul Almond.

The judges had some very difficult decisions to make, with all of the barrows demonstrating lots of imagination, creativity and plant care. After much deliberation the overall winner was chosen as The Kings School entry, awarded with a £100 prize sponsored by Rotary Club of Witney.

Runners up were:
Mayors Special Award – Queen Emma’s Primary School
RHS Judges Choice – The Batt C of E Primary School

And the following schools are awarded certificates as category winners:
Power of Positivity – Tower Hill School
Most Inspiring – St Mary’s Infant School
Most Fragrant – Witney Community Primary School
Happiest Barrow – Madley Brook School
Most Ornamental – West Witney Primary School
Edible Oasis – The King’s School