Children prepared for Halloween by creating spooky spiders and getting their hands dirty at the Bloomin’ Kids gardening workshops during half term (Tuesday 25 October). They planted bulbs for next year’s produce, making a great start on Farnham in Bloom 2023.

Lead member of Community Enhancement at Farnham Town Council, Councillor Sally Dickson said the children learnt valuable gardening skills and enjoyed a craft activity too. “Hands-on learning is what children enjoy the most. They got stuck in and had great fun getting their hands in the soil. They planted hyacinth bulbs, garlic, onions and hopefully went away eager to try out their new skills at home.”

Over 50 children aged up to 13 took part in the workshops, supervised by volunteers from the Farnham in Bloom Community Group. The workshops, which were fully booked, were supported by Principal sponsor The Patio Black Spot Removal Company, Squire’s Garden Centres, Pivot, BBS Ltd, Net Technical Solutions, Hamilton’s Tea House, Farnham Institute, Continental Landscapes, Wildflower Turf and Bush Hotel enabling the council to offer them to families for free.

Each child also made and decorated their own autumn spider out of pipe cleaners to take home.

Farnham Town Council runs free gardening workshops during selected school holidays, giving parents a ready-made free activity to keep their children busy and helping children learn how plants grow. Once the seeds germinate, they will be nurtured in Farnham Town Council’s greenhouses before being planted out in the many displays and containers around Farnham next spring and summer.

Involvement from children and young people is key to the success of Farnham in Bloom. As well as family activities such as the gardening workshops, the community group works with primary and secondary schools through fun gardening competitions such as the tallest sunflower, and by supporting wildlife projects and litter picks.