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also NParks media release on NParks Newsroom 26 May
2005 NParks announces inaugural ‘Community in Bloom’ Awards 2005 The Straits Times, 27 May 05 Communities sow seeds of bonding by Alexis Hooi For the past year, on a small plot of land next to their block, 40 residents of Woodlands Street 82 have been growing spinach, lettuce and other vegetables. Each month, they have produced about 10 bags of the vegetables for themselves and for an old folks' home near their estate. The produce is not all they have cultivated. Ties among the neighbours have also grown. Retired maintenance supervisor Neo Ah Kok, 66, who tends the herb corner on the communal farm, said: "This gives us a chance to pass time together and do something useful. It's a great activity". Yesterday, the little farm -- set up and maintained with funds from the Woodlands Zone 2 Residents' Committee -- was highlighted by the National Parks Board (NParks) as an example of "community gardening". The initiative began last year on the private housing estate of Mayfair Park in Bukit Timah, where it proved an enormous success. Now, NParks hopes to extend the scheme to the rest of the island. A nationwide competition to promote these community gardens was launched yesterday. The Community in Bloom Award contest has four categories -- public housing estates, private housing estates, educational institutions, and other organisations like hospitals and companies. Participants have until 15 Sep to submit entries, which will be judged on criteria that include extent of community involvement in the project, appropriateness of plants chosen and follow-up plans to sustain community interest. Winners will be announced during the annual Clean and Green Week environment campaigns in November. Prizes of up to $5,000 in gardening vouchers will be given. NParks will provide horticultural expertise and, in the case of private estates, clear slivers of state land outside residents' homes where plants will be grown. Said NParks director of arboriculture, Mr Simon Longman: "Community gardening brings people together and encourages everyone to play an active role in sustaining our Garden City". For more details on the competition, visit the NParks website at www.nparks.gov.sg. NParks Newsroom 26 May 2005 NParks announces inaugural ‘Community in Bloom’ Awards 2005 The National Parks Board (NParks) announced the inaugural ‘Community in Bloom’ Awards 2005 today. These Awards are part of NParks’ island-wide community gardening initiative. The community gardening programme is aimed at cultivating a gardening culture among Singaporeans, inculcating a passion in gardening and developing a greater appreciation for greenery. To inspire greater interest in the programme and to spur residents on in their greening efforts, NParks will be recognising the most creative and innovative gardens that showcase community participation, through the ‘Community in Bloom’ Awards 2005. The objectives of these Awards are: (a) To promote community involvement in gardening by recognising the good efforts in creating and up-keeping of gardens. (b) To encourage the sharing of creative ideas in the enhancement of gardens. The ‘Community in Bloom’ Awards 2005 are open to existing or new community gardens in 4 categories: (a) Public Housing Estates (b) Private Housing Estates (c) Educational institutions (d) Other organisations (e.g. Health-care institutions, Corporate bodies) Groups of residents of public/private estates, and groups of participants from schools, institutions and corporate bodies are invited to take part. All short-listed entries will be visited and assessed according to the following criteria: (a) Extent of community involvement in gardening project. (b) Number of gardening-related events/training/talks/garden visits arranged for participants. (c) Creativity/Originality in gardening ideas with emphasis on how well plants and garden materials are used. (d) Appropriateness of choice of plant materials for the planting site. (e) Quality and extent of maintenance care and up-keep by all participants. (f) General overall contribution of the garden to the community (e.g. aesthetic, social, recreational needs, etc.) and future plans for growth. The award ceremony will take place during Clean & Green Week in November 2005. For each category, prizes for the top 3 estates/organisations and 3 Merit Awards worth $500 each will be given out. Top 3 prizes for each category shall be as follows: 1st prize: $5,000 gardening vouchers and a certificate of achievement 2nd prize: $3,000 gardening vouchers and a certificate of achievement 3rd prize: $1,000 gardening vouchers and a certificate of achievement All participants whose entries meet the conditions of the award rules will receive a certificate of participation. All entries must be received before 15 September 2005. For more details, please refer to “‘Community in Bloom’ Awards – Entry Form” and “‘Community in Bloom’ Awards - Guidelines and Rules”. As Mr Simon Longman, NParks’ Director of Arboriculture, explains, “Community gardening brings people together and encourages everyone to play an active role in sustaining our Garden City. NParks has received positive feedback from residents at Mayfair Park and Novena Park who took part in the community gardening pilot projects last year. The residents are now benefiting from their beautifully landscaped states, and the households involved also forged closer ties as they tend the gardens together. This is indeed keeping the ‘gotong royong spirit’ alive, spreading good neighbourliness in urban Singapore where the majority lead a hectic lifestyle.” He added, “We encourage you to join with your neighbours and cultivate gardens in your estate.” Mr Gerard Lim, a Novena resident, related how seven persons from four different households ended up digging, weeding, and planting Portulaca (Japanese roses) on a neighbour’s roadside grass plot one Sunday afternoon. Incidents such as this were not organised but spontaneous. Residents willingly came out of their houses and apartments to assist when they saw their neighbours planting up the frontages. And the benefits of community gardening are multi-fold. As Dr Fong Poh Him, Chairman of Novena Neighbourhood Committee points out, “sharing in the common outdoor activity is also healthy and productive – the flowers enhance the whole environment.” Truly, if you drive past Novena nowadays, you will find that all the lanes in that estate have been lovingly planted with Portulaca. links Community in Bloom award (PDF file) on the NParks website: details of the award. Related articles on Singapore: general environmental issues |
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