Residents at Rowan Lodge entered their communal garden in the ‘Hull in Bloom’ competition run by Hull City Council. Their efforts were rewarded when they were awarded third place for the Riverside area in the Best Community Group category. Residents said: "We were very surprised to receive this as this was the first time the garden had been entered and we only started working on it 18months ago."

Before, it was all grass and shrubs, but with some hard digging, planting, help from tenants and a contribution from Sanctuary, the garden was trans-formed into an area where residents now sit out and enjoy themselves. Receiving this award has inspired the residents to work even harder, aiming for second or even first place next year.