By Olivia Condous
Two resident Aintree green-thumbs have been awarded a big cash prize as the winners of a local gardening competition.
Carmen and Tony May were the winners of the Woodlea Estate inaugural front garden competition with a $10,000 prize.
The competition was launched in September 2021 and designed to encourage residents to have fun and learn gardening tips and tricks, while maintaining local streetscapes.
Aintree community organisation Eat Grow Garden partnered with Woodlea Estate for the competition.
Eat Grow Garden director Jono Ingram supported participants over the six month competition period in learning to grow and maintain their gardens and encouraged all residents to get involved.
Competition winner Carmen May said she and her husband were over the moon to be awarded first prize.
“It was amazing, we opened our front door and there were balloons and a massive cheque right there, we were immediately jumping up and down,” she said.
The couple designed their front garden with a woodlands theme to match the architectural style of their home.
“I have to give my husband credit, Tony would be out in the garden every weekend pruning trees and bushes, cutting the grass and edging,” Ms May said.
The couple plan to use the prize money to visit family in the United Kingdom this year.
“Every few years my husband travels back to the UK to visit his father, there have been lots of teary phone calls throughout the pandemic with him not being able to see his ageing father, now 84,” Ms May said.
“Now having won the money, we are definitely going to book flights to visit this year with our daughter.”
Woodlea Estate will open entries for the 2023 gardening competition in July.
