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After a glorious spring and summer in Manchester, the National Trust has announced the winners of its 2025 Sky Gardening Challenge.
The competition invited residents to brighten up the city’s skyline by transforming balconies and window boxes into pockets of green. Hundreds of entries poured in, each showing how even the smallest spaces can help make the city greener and more welcoming.
The National Trust’s 2025 Sky Gardening Challenge
Sky Garden Challenge Participants, Urban Farming winner
People who signed up received some free balcony gardening essentials to get them started, including seeds, access to workshops, a balcony gardening guide and invaluable advice from the judges and community partners along the way.
Entrants were encouraged to share their balcony gardening story and enter one of five categories spanning all levels of experience, including a One Pot Power category, which emphasised that even the smallest actions can enhance wellbeing and foster a greener urban environment.
Entries were as varied as a balcony that housed a whole brood of ducklings, memorials for beloved family members, and a pot of mixed seeds from a variety of discarded fruits and vegetables.
Who won The National Trust’s 2025 Sky Gardening Challenge?
Sky Garden Challenge Participants, Greener Ground Floors winner
Winners were announced on Tuesday 30th of September at a celebration event held at Dukes 92 in Manchester, attended by shortlisted and winning competition entrants.
There were five top prize winners:
Emily Bush in the One Pot Power category
Harry Gray in the Wild about Wildlife category
Lana Dang in the Urban Farming category
Gary and Maureen Kynaston are in the Greener Ground Floors category
Anonymous winner in the Cultivating Creativity category.
Emily Bush One Pot Power winner
Awards and speeches – Sky Gardening Challenge Awards 2025
Emily Bush, winner of the One Pot Power category, said: “My initial plans for this pot were for herbs and tomatoes; however, both my partner and my housemate have been sneakily adding seeds after chopping fruit and vegetables.”
Emily added that she never believed some of the plants that have sprouted would do so, especially with our notoriously dodgy climate.
Emily’s flatmates, who are from Palestine and Ghana, however, knew they would bloom.
She continued: “Just a few weeks later, we saw all sorts of tiny green shoots…I’ve loved seeing my partner and flatmates get so excited about their seedlings.
“Each one that sprouts is a success in their eyes, and I can see their faces light up with happiness. For them, I think it’s a little reminder of home…I hope that one day, I have plentiful produce which I can share with my friends, family and the community to encourage them to try some experimental planting too!”
The positive impact of green spaces
Group photos of NT team – Sky Gardening Challenge Awards 2025
Other entrants also commented on the positive impact of balcony gardening on their well-being and the unexpected role it can play in community building.
One budding balcony gardener said: “Nothing calms me like gardening and sitting on my balcony around my plants. It’s really comforting to have my own little oasis in the city.”
Another said: “Gardening has meant that I’ve been able to get to know my next-door neighbour as we’ll often bump into each other and catch up when we’re both out watering our plants! Without my garden, I wouldn’t go on my balcony or get to know my neighbour.”
More entrants’ stories will be shared online on Instagram here and Facebook here
Who were the judges of The National Trust’s 2025 Sky Gardening Challenge?
Group photos of judges – Sky Gardening Challenge Awards 2025
Entries were judged by a panel comprising Victoria Holden, founder of Northern Lily Community Interest Company; award-winning garden designer Jason Williams, also known as the Cloud Gardener; and Teddy Jones, assistant gardener at the National Trust’s Castlefield Viaduct.
Victoria Holden, founder of Northern Lily CIC said: “Projects like this are key to helping people maximise their unique growing spaces in an accessible way. Urban balcony and small space gardening not only have mental health benefits but also have a direct impact on urban wildlife and biodiversity.
“It’s been brilliant being part of the Sky Gardening Challenge this year and seeing people’s balcony gardening stories come to life, including how greening their small spaces has helped them connect to their communities and boosted wellbeing.”
Housing associations and community greening organisations from across Greater Manchester also worked with the National Trust to deliver workshops to get people started and give specialist balcony gardening advice.
Salford housing association Salix Homes
Salford housing association Salix Homes, which owns 8,000 homes including 20 high-rise blocks, encouraged residents to join the challenge by running balcony gardening workshops with Plant CIC.
Warren Carlon, Director of Communities at Salix Homes, said they were proud to support the initiative: “It’s been a great opportunity for people to connect with nature and improve their wellbeing.
“This competition shows you don’t need a garden to enjoy nature or grow your own produce. Even a few plants can make a real difference, especially in urban environments.”
What is the National Trust’s new 10-year strategy?
Sky Garden Challenge Participant, Wild about Wildlife winner
As part of the National Trust’s new 10-year strategy, the charity wants to end unequal access to nature and inspire more people to care for the nature around them. Over the next decade, the Trust will continue to work with others in Greater Manchester and other urban areas to bring more nature and heritage to where people live.
Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust said: “The National Trust has an essential role to play in helping everyone access green spaces and we know that people living in cities can have the least access to nature on their doorstep. The experiences and stories from participants in Sky Gardening Challenge are powerful, showing why access to nature is so important.”
Hilary added that this was about having the chance to connect with nature at home, showing how big an impact it can make on improving our everyday lives.
The Sky Gardening Challenge goes national
The Sky Gardening Challenge has been a trial scheme in Greater Manchester so far, and the Trust hopes to roll out the challenge more widely in 2026 and beyond.
You can find out more about The Sky Gardening Challenge by clicking here
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