A PASSIONATE Colley Gate vegetable grower, dedicated to encouraging children to garden, has persuaded the region’s biggest autumn show to run a schools’ competition.

Abbey Road Allotments chairman Mick Poultney is hoping primary schools with gardening clubs will enter the trugg of produce contest at the Malvern Show on September 25 to 27.

Mr Poultney, who runs an after school gardening club at Caslon Primary School, believes it is vital that children learn how to grow food and gain a love of gardening from a young age.

He said: “When I was at school we had gardening at primary and secondary school. Since it stopped we have lost two generations of gardeners.

“The kids now are our future gardeners and we need to get them involved.”

Mr Poultney, who is the National Vegetable Society’s schools’ representative for the Midlands, said the competition was his way of trying to get primary schoolchildren interested.

He said quite a few schools now run gardening clubs and it was hoped the trugg competition would make it easy for them as they could enter anything grown on the school grounds – vegetables, fruit, flowers or herbs Entries will be judged by Mike Smith with six cash prizes ranging from £60 to £10 being awarded to the winning schools’ gardening clubs.

Entry forms for the free competition are available from Sue Verdeyen at the Three Counties Agricultural Society on 07535 666624.