We were absolutely delighted to attend the RHS South & South East in Bloom Awards 2026, an annual celebration of the incredible work taking place across community gardens, parks and green spaces throughout the region.
A fantastic afternoon for the garden, taking home an impressive six prestigious accolades, including:
Gold & Category Winner – Wildflowers & Weeds
Gold – Our Community
Gold – Environmental Challenge
Silver Gilt – Gardening with Young People
Silver Gilt – Biodiversity
Outstanding Level 5 – It’s Your Neighbourhood
Our community garden has undergone some exciting transformations over the past year, including the addition of three new polytunnels, each with a unique purpose: a Digital Hub, a Wellbeing Assessment Area and an Educational Gardening Polytunnel. These new spaces have opened up even more opportunities for learning, connection and community engagement and we wish to thank Surrey County Council, Your Fund and Community Infrastructure Levy, for the grants that made this possible.
Gateway Community Garden continues to grow and evolve into a place where people and nature thrive side by side, supporting wellbeing, inspiring learning, nurturing biodiversity and wildlife and championing sustainable choices that help create a greener, healthier and more connected community.
Milly O’Ryan, Assistant Manager, SCT Gateway Community Garden, said:
Visiting RHS Wisley is always one of the highlights of our year. It is a chance to step away from the garden to celebrate everything our incredible team and community have achieved over the past 12 months. It is also a wonderful opportunity to come together with our staff, volunteers and clients and celebrate what makes Gateway Community Garden so special. From every seed we have planted to every garden room we have created, everything we achieve is built on teamwork, care and togetherness. Year after year, we prove what is possible when people come together with a shared love of nature and a desire to make a difference. We are incredibly proud and look forward to what we will grow, create and achieve in the year ahead!”
SCT Gateway Community Garden would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us to create such an inclusive, welcoming and beautiful garden. A special thank you to our corporate partner Thales. Everyone’s time, enthusiasm and commitment are making such a difference to people’s lives.
Gateway Community Garden is so much more than a garden. It is a place where people and nature can thrive, learn and make new friendships, nurturing wildlife, supporting biodiversity, promoting wellbeing and making sustainable choices that help build a greener, healthier and more connected community for today and for future generations.
Thank you to Sarah Gorrell for inviting us to talk about our Gateway Garden and the amazing support we've had from the National Garden Scheme!
Last week, we were delighted to welcome the Community Foundation for Surrey and some of their wonderful donors, who visited our Gateway Community Garden in Reigate.
"I would absolutely recommend making use of volunteering leave. It’s a valuable opportunity to step away from routine work pressures, connect with the wider community, and do something genuinely meaningful."
"Knowing people are counting on me gives me a reason to get up and get out every single day."
