An abandoned quarry in a Merseyside town centre which has been totally transformed has won the RHS and BBC The One Show’s Growing Together Award for Community Gardening 2025.
The award which celebrates the powerful impact of growing together invited applications from across the country with the Rowlands Dell NHS Health and Wellness Project garden revealed as winner by presenter, comedian and competition judge Tom Allen on The One Show.
The abandoned quarry in the centre of Maghull has been tirelessly transformed over the last 18 months by the Friends of Maghull and District CIC (FOMD), with 300 bin bags of litter cleared, and 10,000 flowering bulbs and 3,000 trees planted.
Belonging to the neighbouring NHS medical centre, Rowlands Dell now provides a restorative, calming space for staff, patients and the local community but also a place to socialise and learn by virtue of it being in the heart of the town.
Its 50 volunteers help to facilitate regular gardening sessions and one-off opportunities, visits from Scout and school groups and take referrals through green social prescribing.
Dr Frank Sharp, from Rowlands Dell, said: “Rowlands Dell is a brimming melting pot of kindness which has galvanised the community, imbuing them with a sense of purpose, pride and positivity while preserving and enhancing this precious, cherished green space.
“It will provide an inspiring, restorative legacy haven for the community and wildlife.
“We are immensely grateful to so many kind people and organisations in our community and see this wonderful accolade by BBC One’s The One Show and RHS as a fitting tribute to this amazing community.”
Tom Allen, competition judge, said: “Rowlands Dell is the new beating heart of Maghull, quite literally a green oasis in the centre of town.
“Its transformation in such a short space of time is testament to the determination of local people to improve their area with everyone given a part to play.
“Choosing between the three finalists was no mean feat and we have no doubt that they will all have lasting benefits for people and wildlife.”
Shortlisted finalists in the competition also included The Plot, Princetown Community Garden in Dartmoor, and E2’s Urban Garden in Leicester.
The Plot, Princetown Community Garden has turned a derelict, unused garden into a thriving community space in Dartmoor.
With the unique challenge of being the highest village in England, and with a growing season two months shorter than the national average, their volunteers have shown determination as they tackled the project.
Welcoming volunteers from a range of diverse backgrounds, the group have planted a donated heritage apple tree orchard, built a Hugelkultur bed which utilises wood waste to improve the soil’s condition and create mounded growing spaces, seeded a wildflower garden bordered by a dead hedge for wildlife, and created a sensory garden for the benefit of SEND community members.
E2’s Urban Garden has transformed an overgrown, litter-strewn area into a flourishing urban garden in Beaumont Leys, Leicester.
The group has overcome vandalism and financial setbacks to install raised beds for growing, a rainwater harvesting system, pollinator-friendly planting, composting areas, and an accessible path network.
E2 encourage community members to get involved with the garden through inclusive initiatives such as a weekly food pantry, sessions for young people in need of wellbeing support, and seasonal garden events and open days.
Joanne Vaughan-Jones, editor of BBC’s The One Show, said: We’re delighted that The One Show is once again highlighting the brilliant work of these inspiring projects.
“The Growing Together Award is a wonderful celebration of community gardening and really does show how people can come together to transform their abandoned land into beautiful spaces that can have a big impact on a community.
Guy Barter, chief horticulturalist at the RHS, said: “It is always inspiring to see how community gardening groups do so much with so little, transforming often abandoned plots into buzzing social spaces that tackle local issues, transform lives and create places everyone can be proud of.
“We’re delighted to have teamed up with BBC’s The One Show to celebrate this spirit.”
In its third year, the Growing Together Award celebrates community gardening groups across the UK who have transformed neglected and disused outdoor spaces into thriving community gardens that inspire local people to get involved, including those who are entirely new to gardening.
Competition entries were assessed by a panel consisting of judges from the RHS and BBC and Tom Allen, based on criteria including the final transformation of the garden and the positive impact of the garden on the local community.
The Growing Together Award winner receives £1,000 in National Garden gift vouchers and the runners-up each receive £100.
For further information on the 2025 winner of the RHS and BBC Growing Together award and runners up, please visit:
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