A small local company has won Website of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards, the so-called gardening ‘Oscars’.
Photography by Jayne Lloyd.
Habitat Aid, based outside Bruton, was recognised for the outstanding quality and content of its website. The awards lunch, sponsored by Westland, is one of the biggest events of the horticultural calendar, rivalling the Chelsea Flower Show in its significance for those who tweet, write, blog, photograph and broadcast about gardening, attracting entries from the country’s leading gardening trend-watchers and setters.
Nick Mann, Habitat Aid’s founder, said: “I’m so pleased. Creating our new look website has taken many, many hours of patient work, and I hope it’s an interesting and helpful place for people to come to. Our developers from Exeter, Daneswood, have been excellent.”
The winning and shortlisted entries at the awards highlighted some of the gardening trends likely to grow during 2019. No dig gardening, pocket-sized veg patches, the health benefits of wildlife spaces and what to do with unwanted black plastic pots were just some of the key issues being championed.
An explosion in the number of gardening lovers communicating their successes – and failures – across all social platforms has led to a growth in green-fingered, online trendsetters who are sharing their views and advice with an audience of all ages and encouraging them to get out and enjoy the many benefits of gardening, whether they have a window box or a rolling estate!
Clare Foggett, chair of the Garden Media Guild, said: “It’s fantastic that so many of this year’s winning entries highlight the force for good that gardening can be and across such a diverse range of platforms, from social media and blogs to traditional stalwart TV programmes and long-standing print magazines. The entire world of gardening media is in a wonderful position to make people aware of gardening’s social, environmental and health benefits, and we have a responsibility to do that too.”
The Awards were hosted at The Savoy in London by Sophie Raworth.
The Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year Award (sponsored by The Garden Press Event) – Lucy Bellamy, Brilliant & Wild: A garden from scratch in a year
Garden Book of the Year (Reference and Inspirational) – Cedric Pollet, Winter Gardens – Reinventing the Season
Garden Publication of the Year (sponsored by Westland) – Steve Ott, Kitchen Garden
Trade Publication of the Year (sponsored by The Landscape Show) – Kate Lowe, Horticulture Week
The Dr David Hessayon Garden Columnist of the Year Award – Val Bourne, Amateur Gardening
News Journalist of the Year (sponsored by Briggs & Stratton) – Ian Hodgson, Garden News
Practical Journalist of the Year (sponsored by Thompson & Morgan) – David Patch, Kitchen Garden
Journalist of the Year (sponsored by Stihl) – Stephanie Mahon, Garden Design Journal
The Gordon Rae Photographer of the Year Award – Andrea Jones
Features Photographer of the Year – Richard Bloom
The Roy Lancaster TV Broadcast of the Year Award (sponsored by HTA) – Paolo Proto, BBC Gardeners’ World
Radio Broadcast / Podcast of the Year – Charlotte Petts, Growing Wild FM
The Alan Titchmarsh New Talent Award (sponsored by Hayloft) – Ben Dark, The Garden Log podcast
Blog of the Year (sponsored by Mr Fothergill’s) – Caro Shrives, The Urban Veg Patch
Website of the Year (sponsored by Honda) – Nick Mann, www.HabitatAid.co.uk
Digital Innovation of the Year (sponsored by Cobra) – Simon Hampton, RHS Grow Your Own app
Social Media Influencer of the Year – Charles Dowding
More information at www.gardenmediaguild.co.uk/awards
Reportage photography of the Garden Media Guild Awards at the Savoy Hotel, London, photography by Jayne Lloyd.
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