THE gardening glove has been thrown down to groups, schools and individuals to come up with projects to enter for this year’s Bexley Environmental Challenge competition.

The contest is open to everyone from uniformed groups to businesses who have been working to improve the environment.

There are a variety of categories to suit all kinds of projects and efforts and the aim of the competition is to promote the work people in the borough are doing to preserve and improve the environment and encourage others to do the same.

A judging panel of Bexley councillors and council officials will tour the entries during June and July before deciding the winners.

Everyone who enters will be invited to the awards evening at the civic offices in Bexleyheath Broadway in November, when the winners will be announced.

Each entrant will receive a framed certificate and, thanks to support from Cory Environmental, all entries will be graded from merit to gold and receive a cash prize of between £10 and £50.

The top four winners will also receive a trophy and a cash prize worth between £200 and £1,000.

This year’s categories are.- Green nursery or primary school - this can be an ongoing scheme such as a wildlife or vegetable garden or a specific project; Green secondary school or college - these will be judged on their work to protect the environment and quality of environmental education; Green household - an individual or group of people living together and what they do to protect and improve the local environment and reduce their carbon footprint; Green project or group - open to any organisation, group or environmental project, including any part-funded by the council, which will be judged on its contribution to the local environment; Clyde Pugh award - this is for any adult or child judged to have made an outstanding contribution to environmental education or awareness; Climate change - open to projects who address this at a local or national level; Green business - judged on what companies do to limit their impact locally and globally and what they do to benefit the environment; Green building - recognises new or refurbished buildings made more environmentally friendly, minimise their impact or adapted to meet climate change.

The closing date for entries is April 30.

For an entry form go to bexley.gov.uk/environmental challenge