Gardening is certainly not an Olympic sport, but tying a gardening competition to the 2012 Games has proved an extremely shrewd move from Wokingham Borough Council.
Open to people of all ages, it is hoped that the competition will encourage people to reach for their garden tools, enter into the sporting spirit and improve their local area.
Entitled Growing 4 Gold, the event is aimed at green fingered outdoors enthusiasts who want to create a lasting legacy for the borough by planting colourful arrays of flowers and plants.
There will be prizes available in six distinct categories.
These will include, Best Residential Front Garden, Best Residential Front Garden in Communal Grounds, Best Balconies, Window Boxes and Hanging Baskets, Best Residential Front Garden (Street Entry), Best Public House/Restaurant and Best Public Building and its Grounds.
Speaking to the Wokingham Times about the new competition, community development manager John Cawdell said: "Now's the time to dig for victory in our gardening competition.
"We want the borough to be a riot of Olympic colours by the time the athletes arrive in London."
He added that gardening can bring a huge array of benefits to an area and is great for older people – especially those suffering from age-related health problems such as osteoporosis.
"It can also reduce stress and promote relaxation. All this and it is also fun and brings colour and spectacle to all the community," Mr Cawdell added.
There are a few key criteria that competitive gardeners must bear in mind when entering the competition – especially if they want to impress the judges.
All entries must be related in some way to the 2012 London Olympics. Recycling and sustainability are key themes, as is biodiversity – so encourage wildlife will score entrants brownie points.
All entries must be received before Friday July 6th and judging will take place on the week of Monday 16th July.
