Bromley schoolboy wins garden award despite broken wrist (From News Shopper)

Bromley schoolboy wins garden award despite broken wrist

9:33am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News By Heloise Wood

A GREEN-FINGERED schoolboy beat over 50 other competitors in a garden competition despite having a broken wrist.

Ravens Wood School pupil Oliver Tebay, 12, grew up helping with his father's allotments.

His mother, Dee, 49, of Frankswood Avenue, Petts Wood, said as soon as he could get out of his buggy he would get stuck in.

She said they thought perhaps he "just liked getting dirty, like any other little boy."

It was only when Oliver took over half an allotment of his own when he was eight that it became clear how serious he was.

His parents came home one day to find he had mowed the lawn and completely revamped the garden, something that is now a regular occurrence.

He was encouraged by the Turpington Lane allotment managers to enter the Margaret Ayres Young Gardeners Award.

However disaster struck when he broke his wrist and had to get it set in plaster six weeks before the competition was judged.

The youngster insisted on continuing to tend his patch, despite his cast getting dirty from all the soil.

All his hard work was rewarded when it was announced he had won the prize on September 20, beating 55 other young people, and received his certificate from Bromley Mayor, Councillor Michael Turner.

Oliver, who wants study landscape gardening at Hadlow College, said: "It means such a lot to me to get the award and will boost my confidence in years to come.

"I love gardening because of what you get from it, the fact you can eat the produce and being able to spend the time outside."