Published: April 22, 2008
Burnham garden centre launches children's sunflower competition

A competition which challenges children in the Burnham-On-Sea area to grow the 'fattest sunflower face' has been launched at a garden centre near the town this week.

Sanders GardenWorld is one of several Wyevale Garden Centres across the region taking part in the nationwide competition.

Children aged up to 16 years are invited to collect a packet of seeds and an entry form anytime during normal opening hours until Sunday May 18th.

Tony Gray, Dry Goods Manager at Sanders GardenWorld (pictured), said: "We have joined forces with the seed supplier Suttons and have packets of special sunflower seeds, bred especially to have large flower heads, to give away free of charge to green-fingered youngsters who would like to enter the competition."

"There are three titles to be won in the competition, Individual Garden Centre Winner, Regional Winner and National Winner."

Tony added: "Children who have entered will need to bring their fully grown sunflower ‘face’, just the ‘head’, not the whole plant, into the garden centre during normal opening hours between Saturday September 20th and Sunday, September 28th."

Entrants will be asked to measure their sunflower heads, across the middle of the face, excluding petals, before they bring it into the garden centre.

Tony continued: "It will then be measured again by garden centre staff when the entry is submitted. Entries from each store will be recorded and submitted for judging."

The winners at this stage will each receive £20 worth of Wyevale vouchers, a regional winner’s certificate and will go forward to the national final in late October.

The overall national winner with the biggest sunflower will win £50 worth of Wyevale vouchers and the winner’s school will be presented with a further £50 worth of Wyevale vouchers plus a tree to plant in its grounds.

Our photo shows Tony Gray, Dry Goods Manager at Sanders GardenWorld, with one of the competition packs