Judging
Who will judge the entries?
A panel of widely experienced practitioners will judge the entries in August. They will look for evidence of excellence and best practice in every category.
David Spencer is the 2010 Chair of the Adjudication Panel.
The judging process
Stage 1
The judging panel will consider the material submitted with the entry. This should include any photographs and/or documents which will help the judges to assess the entry. The impact made by the initial entry material is of the utmost importance.
The judging panel will complete site visits for specific categories and then come together in early September to consider all categories and decide on the overall category winners and any special awards.
Stage 2
In September 2010, Horticulture Week will announce a shortlist from which the principal winners will have been selected.
Stage 3
The principal winners will be announced at the high profile Awards presentation and lunch which will take place at the Great Room, Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on Friday 3 December 2010. The decision of the judges on any matter relating to the Awards will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into concerning their decisions.
David Spencer
Vice Chair of the Wales Horticulture Stragegy Group and Lantra Welsh Advisory GroupDavid comes from a Welsh farming background and studied Agricultural Science, specialising in Animal Nutrition. He began his landscaping career in earnest in the early 1970’s, working for a specialist land drainage and restoration company and studying sports field construction. From 1976 to 1989 he worked on a major contract for the restoration of British Coal open cast mines in South Wales to agricultural and sports field use. In 1991established his own landscaping and sports field construction company, Spencer Environmental, which he sold in 2003 after taking on the role of interim Chief Executive at BALI. A fluent Welsh speaker, David is currently Vice Chair of both the Wales Horticulture Stragegy Group and Lantra Welsh Advisory Group. He is a member of the IOG, an Associate member of the Institute of Agriculture and a Life Governor of the Royal Welsh Show. He was the proud recipient in 2007 of the BALI Recognition Award.
Greg Allen
Senior Lecturer in Landscape Studies, Writtle CollegeGreg is a senior lecturer in landscape studies at Writtle College in Essex specialising in landscape construction, contract management and plant knowledge. A parks apprenticeship in East Kilbride followed by study at Askham Bryan College provided a firm base for a career in horticulture spanning some 30 years, including time at Bedofrd Borough Council and Castle Howard in York before moving into teaching. He has been Curator of Grounds at Writtle for 13 years and played a key role in developing both the landscape teaching at the college and its decorative gardens. No stranger to RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, Greg has led many student groups to win a clutch of Silver Gilt and Gold medals for small and large show gardens. More recently he has worked within the landscape sectors as a specialist consultant. Greg plays an active role within BALI as a Regional Vetting Officer and Adjudicator in landscape disputers.
Michael Chance
RetiredSteve Roberts
Landscape ArchitectSteve trained in geography and geology, taking a post graduate landscape course at Edinburgh. As a landscape architect he worked for various local government authorities. He began lecturing at the Welsh College of Horticulture in 1979 as Head of Department, eventually assuming the post of College Marketing Director. During his time at the college he developed the three year National Diploma course in Interior Landscaping, winning interior landscape exhibit gold medals at the Liverpool Garden Festival and Stoke Garden Festival and medals from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. After leaving the Welsh College in 1999 Steve set up an event and design company winning gold medals and Best in Show at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2000, 2004 and 2006. He has written six books on flowers and design.
Robin Templar Williams
Managing Director, Robin Williams & Associates LtdRobin's career in landscaping began in 1979 and after gaining 10 years practical experience of building and planting gardens he progressed into design. As managing director of Wiltshire-based landscape design practice Robin Williams & Associates Ltd, he now specialises in private gardens and landscapes both in the UK and internationally, more recently in Russia and the Ukraine. The recipient of numerous awards, including a number of RHS gold medals, Robin is also co-director of Garden Design School, a private college which trains individuals to a professional level. He also lectures on the subject of garden and landscape design for the Association of Professional Landscape Designers in the USA, of which he is a Board Director, the Royal Horticultural Society and to landscape designers and contractors in Moscow. He is a Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers and a BALI Board Director a BALI Awards judge since 2005.
Mitch Westwood
Independent Landscape ConsultantMitch is an independent landscape consultant with 34 years industry experience behind him, mainly in the domestic design and build sector. Elected as a Member of the Institute of Horticulture in 1997, he is qualified lecturer and assessor to D32/33 (Cert Ed), an independent dispute adjudicator and expert witness for both magistrate and small claims courts, holding membership of the Association of Independent Construction Adjudicators (AICA). He has won six RHS medals for designing and building gardens at Chelsea, Hampton Court, BBC Gardeners World Live and Tatton Park and is currently an RHS ‘Judge Designate’. He also sits on the judging panels of garden design and build competitions for The Daily Telegraph, Jewsons, Marshalls, the APL and the WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening Competition. Mitch is a BALI Regional Vetting Officer and has previously been a full contracting member of BALI. He also undertakes consultancy and TV work for the BBC, appearing as the industry expert on BBC TV’s ‘Rogue Traders’ and ‘Watchdog’ programmes.
