THE ANNUAL success story that is the Bloom garden festival is well documented, with gardens of increasing sophistication each year. But it’s always nice to see a deserving cause taking the honours.

Amawele was awarded a bronze medal in the medium gardens category. The garden replicates the school gardens typical of those Amawele sets up through its twinning arrangements between schools in Ireland and South Africa.

The prizewinning garden, “Worlds Apart, Schools Together” featured an interactive classroom, a potting shed, a fruit, vegetable and herb garden and a sensory garden. Pictured at the winning garden at Bloom is Coleen Murphy, a Leaving Cert student from Sancta Maria College in Rathfarnham, who will be heading off on Amawele’s first overseas volunteer trip in November.

Sherry FitzGerald is one of the initiators of the Amawele project, and it remains involved with Amawele on an ongoing basis. It is extending the call for 30 enthusiastic volunteers to join the November trip which will involve building horticultural and educational projects in schools in rural South Africa.

Full details from amawele.org