Anne Marie Owens and Jo Campbell judge best Kitchen Garden at Oxford Brookes Best Brookes Vegetable Plot competition

Anne Marie Owen, Head Gardener at Le Manoir and Jo Campbell, Le Manoir’s head vegetable gardener judged the best kitchen garden plot at Oxford Brookes University’s Wheatley Campus.

Oxford Brookes University set up a kitchen garden with 24 plots for students and staff at the university to grow their own seasonal fruit and vegetables. As part of the project the University is also planning to sponsor the development of a kitchen garden in Africa through the charity, One Foundation.
Staff and students compteted to see who can create the ‘best plot’ making use of the space and produce. Anne Marie was guest of honour at the official opening of the kitchen garden in November 2010 where she spent time talking to the plot owners, some of who were gardening novices, offering encouragement and advice.

Anne Marie and Jo attended the official judging ceremony at the Wheatley Campus on 21 June and judged the best plot to be Osteopathy student Ben Wilkins’. Ben will now have the opportunity to visit Africa with the One Foundation to help set up the kitchen garden scheme there. Ben said: “I’m very much looking forward to going=”.

Philippa Fletcher, at Oxford Brookes University and organizer of the competition, said:

“We are delighted to be able to provide the chance for students and staff to be involved in the burgeoning ‘grow-your-own’ movement. It has also given us the opportunity to further support the One Foundation and the positive work that they do with some of the poorest communities in Africa. As Le Manoir is renowned for its kitchen garden, having Anne Marie and Jo as judges for the best plot competition has been inspiring for everyone involved. We hope they were impressed by the standard of the produce and the creativity shown within the plots.”

Anne Marie said:

“I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to become involved in this fantastic scheme at Oxford Brookes. It is wonderful to see people who have never gardened before become enthusiastic about their kitchen gardens, and to watch their plots flourish. It was a very difficult decision! We are very supportive of this project and hope it will have a great effect both on the students and staff at the university and with the valuable work that the One Foundation is doing in Africa.”

For more information on the work of the One Foundation, visit their website:
 http://www.onedifference.org/the-one-foundation

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