Residents and school pupils have once again been busy transforming parts of the borough into vibrant havens for nature, as part of a competition to support biodiversity. And the winners have now been revealed.

The Ealing Biodiversity Awards for Gardens and Green Spaces 2025 is a competition run by Cultivating Ealing in partnership with Ealing Council and ActForEaling. The awards ceremony, held at the council’s headquarters on Wednesday (10 September), celebrated the creativity and dedication of residents, community groups and schools who are helping to make the borough greener and more sustainable.

Entrants to the competition were invited to showcase their environmentally-friendly outdoor spaces – from front gardens and balconies to schools, community spaces and allotments. The judges, who are all experienced gardeners, were impressed by the imaginative use of space, pollinator-friendly planting, and features such as bug hotels, wildlife nooks and even a hedgehog door in a fence.

This year’s winners are:

Front Gardens

1st – Steve Craik

2nd – Md Qumrul Islam

3rd – Lucy Preece

Street/Community Gardens

Joint 1st – Elaine Gristock – TITRA Community Garden, NW10 

Joint 1st – Ealing Transition – Lammas Community Orchard, W5

3rd – Karen Adams – Blondin Park Community Pavilion, W5

A special Environmental Transformation Award was presented to Melissa Lake, representing the Island Triangle Residents’ Association – Old Oak Lane/Goodhall Street Alleyway, North Acton.

Allotments

1st – Jane Hodgkin & Steve Craik – representing the Ascott Allotments wildlife plot

2nd – Jane Morris – for her plot on Northfields Allotments

3rd – Al Mohammadi – for his plot on Haslemere Allotments

The award for Most Improved Site went to Mr J S Bhasin, Manor Way Allotments

Schools

St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School – School Garden of the Year

Derwentwater Primary School – Best Community Supported School Garden

Vicars Green Primary School – Best New School Garden

Each winner received a certificate presented by the awards’ sponsors and attended by the mayor of Ealing, Councillor Anthony Kelly. They will also receive cash prizes.

The judges commended the entries for their rich biodiversity, creative planting schemes, and the positive impact they have on local wildlife and community wellbeing.

In pictures…

View our gallery below to see a few of this year’s entries.

‘So many beautiful, biodiverse gardens’

The following schools were commended for their gardens and will receive certificates later:

Grange Primary School – Aspiring Young Gardeners Award

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School – Innovative Recycling in the School Garden Award

Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Primary School – Best School Wildlife Garden

Blair Peach Primary School – Budding Gardener Award

Mandeville School – Best Sensory Garden

Coston Primary School – Best School Woodland Garden

Featherstone Primary and Nursery School – Best Edible School Garden 2025

Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “It’s brilliant to see so many residents passionate about making a difference to their local environment by preserving front gardens and creating green spaces.

“There were so many beautiful, biodiverse gardens and the entrants’ love for nature, birds and mini beasts shone through. Congratulations to all our winners, and we hope to see even more people inspired to take part next year.”

High standards

Debbie Fogarty, chair of Cultivating Ealing, added: “This is the second year of the Ealing Biodiversity Awards for Gardens and Green Spaces competition, and there has been a pleasing increase in entries, with even higher standards than last year which gave the judges a tough job.

“There were entries in the categories of Front Gardens, Street & Community Gardens, Schools and Allotments and the judges particularly enjoyed seeing the colourful and inventive school gardens and talking to the children! We hope to see many more entries next year, helping to make Ealing an even greener and more vibrant place to live, with communities coming together to celebrate nature, creativity, and sustainability.”

The competition forms part of the council’s wider climate action strategy, encouraging residents to reimagine their outdoor spaces as mini nature reserves that contribute to a healthier, more resilient borough.

To find out more about the competition and how to get involved next year, visit the ActForEaling website.