A husband and wife being awarded a certificate by SNG's Chief Communities and Sustainability Officer, for winning a gardening competition

Plymouth gardener wins award for community garden

A gardening enthusiast has been recognised by SNG (Sovereign Network Group) with an award for her exceptional garden.

Diane Hurn, who lives in an SNG home in Plymouth, came first in the Thriving Community Garden category in the SNG In Bloom competition. Diane is among five gardeners and gardening groups who stood out amongst SNG’s 85,000 households across London and the south of England. The SNG In Bloom competition offered prizes across five award-winning categories of gardens, indoor, outdoor and community gardens and green spaces were all in contention.

The judges were impressed with arrangement of the wide variety of pots, flowers and plants and with the efforts by Diane and her husband to make this community garden space a wonderful place for the residents, who are all older, to come together, connect with nature and socialise.

SNG In Bloom winner, Diane Hurn, said: "Since moving to Notre Dame House in December 2023, the garden was bare and lacked any colour or fragrance. My husband and myself are keen gardeners and we wished to make a garden that would brighten up the once forgotten space and bring the community together and have a place to sit and appreciate this beautiful garden in the making. It has become a meeting place for our neighbours to enjoy and share with each other and has brought people out of their flats. What a result; it’s becoming a talking point. We are only at the beginning of the journey.”

Jamie Ratcliff, Chief Communities and Sustainability Officer at SNG added: “I was blown away with the levels of skill, commitment and improvement shown in all submissions to our first In Bloom competition and Diane is a worthy winner.

“Our customers are the people who make the places we offer their home. Diane’s determination and hard work has bought together her neighbours and community, and the joy that everyone gets from her effort is fantastic to see.”