Local garden designer shortlisted for a 'Women’s Working Oscar'

A GARDEN designer who calls Newbury her ‘second home’ has been shortlisted for a Thames Valley Venus Business award.

Dubbed the Women’s Working Oscars, Cathy Cornish from Wild to Wonderful Garden Design is one of three women finalists to have made the final round in the Ikea Green Business category.

The winner will be announced at Madejski Stadium tomorrow evening (Friday) with a black-tie gala ceremony.  

The awards saw more than 1,000 nominations and applications across the 15 award categories, with finalists being chosen through a combination of sponsor and public judging.

While Mrs Cornish’s company is based in Oxfordshire, the 47-year-old regularly frequents Newbury due to her many clients she has in and around the town.

Despite living in Harwell, not far from her Didcot-based company, Mrs Cornish has worked in Speen, Newtown, Kintbury, Stockcross, Hungerford, Lambourn, Thatcham, Beenham and Newbury.

She is also a regular supplier of Penwood Nurseries and Crane Garden Buildings in Hermitage, as well as working with local schools to educate young children further on the importance of nature and where food comes from.

One of the areas Mrs Cornish feels strongly about is plant waste, working hard to ensure that customers plant the right number of correctly chosen plants in the right place to avoid waste.

She also specialises in creating wildlife habitats, including bird and bee-friendly planting and wild areas for butterflies, and helps her clients understand how they can create a wildlife habitat in their gardens.

Speaking about her nomination, Mrs Cornish said: “I have always been an advocate of a green and environmentally-friendly garden business and am delighted to have been recognised by Ikea and chosen as a finalist for this prestigious award.

“Garden design can be more than supporting organic growing and not using chemical pesticides.

“We always encourage consideration of wildlife habitats, recycled materials and rainwater collection as well as how best to inspire the future generations of gardeners.”