ROLLS-ROYCE WILDLIFE GARDEN COMPETITION
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is calling on aspiring UK designers, between the ages of 5–11, to design what they would like to be included in Rolls-Royce’s Wildlife Garden.
Drawing on their own creativity, the sky is literally the limit! Some examples to get started could include a unique plant or flower, a bee corridor or an insect hotel.
The marque’s designers will judge all entries and select an overall winner whose design will be brought to life – a true once-in-a-lifetime, money-can’t-buy prize.
THE RESULTS
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to announce the winner in its competition that invited children aged 5-11 to design new features for the Wildlife Garden at the Home of Rolls-Royce, Goodwood. Established as part of the original landscaping when the plant was built in the early 2000s, the Wildlife Garden supports a wide variety of plants, insects, birds and animals native to the South of England.
The new features are central to a rejuvenation project being carried out in partnership with Chichester District Council and the South Downs National Park Trust, to reflect changes in conservation thinking and practice over the past two decades.
Overall Winner
WILDLIFE GARDEN COMPETITION WINNER
By Iris, age 8
Iris created Tiggy Town to support the UK's hedgehog population, which is in critical decline. Together with little hedgehog houses (each with its own address) she designed features to encourage the insects and invertebrates that hedgehogs feed on. The houses have grass roofs to attract pollinators; a leaf pile, compost heap and log pile provide shelter for all kinds of insects, as well as hedgehog hibernating places. There's also a shallow pond hedgehogs can drink from and swim in, with a boardwalk to help them climb out when they get tired. Sensory elements include a fragrant camomile lawn, the 'Phantom' hydrangea and 'Rosa Dawn' rose.
Runners up
WILDLIFE GARDEN COMPETITION RUNNER UP
By Poppy, age 101/2
Poppy spent three weeks developing her design, which incudes a Quiet Zone with a large maple tree, a Water Zone to encourage dragonflies and frogs, a Wild Garden Zone full of bird boxes, wild flowers, Social Zone with seating, mocktail bar and the Rolls-Royce logo (which she found on the internet) embedded in the grass.
WILDLIFE GARDEN COMPETITION RUNNER UP
By Ava, age 8
Ava based her design on her love of insects and wildlife. As well as providing food and shelter for a host of different species, including butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, newts, moths, birds and bees, she included a picnic area with fairy lights and a seating area by the pond where visitors can enjoy a picnic while watching the wildlife.
WILDLIFE GARDEN COMPETITION RUNNER UP
By Blythe, age 9
Blythe created a design with lots of different zones to support as many different types of wildlife as possible.
ABOUT THE WILDLIFE GARDEN
The Wildlife Garden occupies a small, secluded area of the Goodwood site to the south of The Drive, just inside the main gates. It provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of plants, insects, birds and animals native to the south of England. Other frequent visitors include our colony of around 250,000 English honey bees who are responsible for producing ‘the Rolls-Royce of honey’.
Nature at Rolls-Royce
Tucked away close to the South Downs National Park, the Wildlife Garden sits within Chichester’s proposed Strategic Wildlife Corridor.
The Phantom Rose flourishes in a lavender-fringed flowerbed near the reflection ponds beside the manufacturing plant.
The roof of the main building is planted with thousands of hardy, low-maintenance sedum plants. Covering over 32,000 square metres (around eight acres) it’s the largest living roof in the UK and a haven for wildlife.
Over 400,000 plants and trees of more than 120 species are part of our 42-acre site.
As well as a home for numerous wild birds, it is also a heat sink for the manufacturing plant's climate control system.
Home to 250,000 English Honey Bees in six specially-built hives.