A fantastic Mayfield garden ‘full of colour, fun and life’ has won this year’s ‘Baxter Keiller Award’ for outstanding Melville Housing Association garden.

Created by Mrs Lynda Christison of Rowantree Road, Mayfield, the garden impressed the judging panel with its vibrant use of colour, fantastic selection of flowers, and beautifully looked after paths and beds; all topped off by her wonderfully whimsical collection of flower-pot men.

“Congratulations to Mrs Christison for this fantastically well-deserved prize,” said Andrew Noble, Melville Chief Executive. “Hers is a delightful garden that brings a smile to your face and that is full of enough colour, fun and life to brighten up even the dullest of summer days. Just looking at it you can see that it’s the product of hours and hours of care, attention and most of all hard work.”

In the inaugural Young Gardener of the Year category, 14-year-old Craig McBeth took home the first prize for his garden at Stanley Avenue, Bilston. Judges were impressed by his variety of planting, hanging baskets and beautiful borders.

“To win our first ever Young Gardener of the Year award is an impressive achievement,” said Andrew. “Very well done to Craig and to everyone else who took part in this year’s competition. As always we’ve been enormously impressed by the quality of entries and are already looking forward to seeing how they might be bettered next year.”

For her winning garden Mrs Christison received gardening vouchers to the value of £100 with runner-up Margaret Faude of Wilson Road, Gorebridge, receiving a £35 voucher. For winning the Young Gardener of the Year category Craig also received a £35 voucher.

Now in its third year, the ‘Baxter Keiller Award’ is named in honour of a keen Mayfield gardener and Melville tenant who sadly passed away in 2014. Melville set up a gardening competition to recognise the work done in 2007 by Baxter, along with his neighbour Christine McGrouther, transforming a patch of Mayfield wasteland into a fantastic community garden.