CALLING all school gardening groups in south Cumbria and the Millom area - this is your chance to exhibit at one of the North's most prestigious festivals.

The Holker Garden Festival children's competition is launched today in association with the North-West Evening Mail, Crooklands of Dalton and The Builders Supply Company. 

The organisers of Holker Garden Festival are asking primary school classes to design a show garden based on the theme 'Gardening through the Generations'. 

The shortlisted schools will be invited to turn their designs into a 3m x 3m show garden be exhibited on the festival show ground from Friday June 3 to Sunday June 5 in front of thousands of visitors.

The Builders Supply Company will create the fencing for the show garden space then the schools will be able to display the pot plants, flowers, vegetables and herbs that they have grown in school with any other garden features that they would like to include. 

There will be no need for digging into the grass and planting as the idea is for the schools to surround their plant pots and containers with mulch or fine bark.        

The shortlisted schools will be invited to attend the festival on Friday June 3 where they will get the chance to meet the judges, discuss their garden and attend a prize ceremony.  

Large Gold, Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze awards will be on offer as will gardening equipment worth £175, £150, £100, £50 and £25, courtesy of Crooklands of Dalton. The champion school will be presented with the Best Children’s Show Garden Trophy. 

Competition packs are available by clicking here    

Applications and designs are to be submitted to the Holker Garden Festival Show Office, Holker Hall, Cark-in-Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7PL by Friday March 4.  

Shortlisted schools will then be contacted about their plans and working towards the festival.   

Schools which will be taking part in the competition are asked to email natalie.chapples@nwemail.co.uk   

TV gardening personality Charlie Dimmock is the celebrity guest at this year's festival on Saturday June 4.   

Advance tickets to the 24th annual event are available now offering early bird discounts up until the end of March.