WINNERS of the Bahrain Garden Club’s (BGC) 55th annual competitions were announced yesterday during a ceremony held at the Jasra Organic Farm.
Twenty-one individuals and three organisations received a total of 43 prizes – including the His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Cup for best residential garden, the HH Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cups for best flowers and vegetables, as well as HRH Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Cups for best amateur, professional and student photography.
“Various organisations were also assessed for their efforts in creating and maintaining gardens that contain varieties of trees and plants,” BGC president Zahra Abdulmalik said, during her opening remarks.
“This year, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, school students also took part from home in the Riffa Views Cup category.
“Under their teachers’ supervision, students created decorative displays of art suitable to be placed in their school gardens. Each group produced a video explaining the stages of work and emailed it to the club. The club received 50 submissions in this category.”
In previous years, the annual competition has been held on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Garden Show under the patronage of the King and with the support of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, His Majesty’s wife and president of the Consultative Council of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD).
However, due to Covid-19 protocols, the ceremony was held privately in the presence of NIAD secretary general Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, Japanese Ambassador Hideki Ito, Riffa Views managing director Yasser Abdulrahman Alraee, Bahrain-Japan Business and Friendship Society representative Anoop Kewalram as well as members of the club’s board, and the winners.
“I am incredibly proud of having won this prize for the second year in a row,” a delighted Sarah Clarke told the GDN, after winning the BGC Cup for the best-kept rock garden.
“I love to integrate upcycled items, intertwining anything that might be broken into nature to create something beautiful.
“I have spent at least one to two hours every day in my garden, especially during the last year and to be honest, it has kept me sane during the Covid-19 lockdown.”
naman@gulfweekly.com
Ms Clarke receives her award
Bernard de Villele, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain receives the award on behalf of the hotel
Shaikha Maram, centre, and the Japanese Ambassador, third from right, with dignitaries at the event
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