Plans for new front garden competition launched in town

Businesses urged to get involved in contest

An avid gardener is hoping to establish a new competition in Ashford - and is inviting neighbours to put their green fingers to the test.

Charlotte Mbali, of Western Avenue, plans to launch a front garden contest this spring and is appealing for residents and businesses to get on-board.

The scheme will involve residents uploading a photo of their garden to a dedicated Facebook group.

Ms Mbali, 72, said: “In my childhood we had a best kept garden competition in Benenden and we loved it.

“There are streets of terraced houses with small front gardens in Ashford.

“While some of these are beautifully maintained with various flowers throughout nine months of the year, there are other gardens that are neglected.

“The aim of this project is to get more people involved in making their front gardens look beautiful.”

To upload a photo to the Facebook group, contestants would need to pay £1, which Ms Mbali says could be left at various collection points in the town.

Contestants would then be handed a ticket number which they should attach to the post when they upload the photo to Facebook.

Experienced gardeners would then select the best kept gardens and visit them to judge them further.

The money collected through entries would then be handed to the winners, as well as gifts donated by companies.

Ms Mbali is appealing for people to get come forward to help her get the competition up and running.

She added: “To get going, we need people willing to be neighbourhood reps and experienced gardeners willing to be judges.

“We also need people to help us design posters and leaflets and local convenience stores willing to act as paypoints for the £1 entry tickets.”

If you would like to get involved or share your ideas, contact Charlotte Mbali by emailing gardensashford@ gmail.com

Charlotte Mbali, of Western Avenue, plans to launch a front garden contest this spring