Brinsbury College triumphs at Jim Green Challenge after day of creativity, cakes and gardening glory

The Brinsbury College Community is filled with pride after taking home the top prize at this year’s Jim Green Challenge for the third time in four years.

The event, which took place at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, saw students make a model of a tree frog, a model of a working windmill and a scarecrow. They took spring bulbs which they had grown and crafted a pot to display them in.  

The students also made cakes which they decorated as frogs and displayed on the day.   

While the college didn’t come first in these categories, the judges were really impressed with the students who dug over a flowerbed and planted a window box, which they achieved a first-place in.  

They also had to undertake an identification task by identifying 20 different items of where food comes from.   

The college succeeded in all categories so much so that the team secured overall winners having previously also won the title in 2023 and 2024. 

Bryony Paine, Lecturer in Foundation Programmes and Study Programme Leader for Gateway Four at Brinsbury College, said: “The students at Brinsbury College have been working hard over the last few months to create some fantastic work in preparation for the Jim Green Challenge. 

“It has become an important part of our curriculum each year, and the students gain a huge amount of skills from participating in the group challenges, such as teamwork, communication skills, horticulture knowledge and practical skills. 

“The students have enjoyed creating a scarecrow of Ursula, a sculpture of a tree frog, some spring flowers in a hazel branch pot, a wooden windmill and a cake decorated as a frog. 

“The students are proud to represent the college and win the competition again after their hard work and dedication.” 

The Jim Green Challenge is an annual competition designed for students with additional educational needs from colleges across Sussex, Surrey and Kent. It is organised in memory of the Agricultural Society’s past chairman and founder of its educational outreach programmes, Jim Green. 

The challenge encourages students to take part in both practical and evidence-based project work, focused on the countryside. 

For more information about the courses available at the college, please click here.