A Spalding institution wants local youngsters to help in flagging up its 60th anniversary.
The Springfields Horticultural Society reaches the milestone in 2026 and as part of its planned celebration, it wants a new flag.
The group is opening the design to primary and secondary school children.
The winning design will come to life in spectacular fashion, planted as a living flower display and manufactured as an official flag to fly proudly at the gardens throughout 2026.
“We want young people to be at the heart of our 60th anniversary celebrations,” says Becky Kirtland, education and outreach co-ordinator for Springfields Horticultural Society and the Festival Gardens: “This competition is a wonderful opportunity for students to express their creativity, connect with nature and their local heritage, and see their artwork transformed into something special.
“Imagine designing something that thousands of people will see and enjoy – that’s an incredible experience for any young artist!”
There is a twist though, designs can only use a maximum of four colours and one of those must be green.
That’s so the display will have maximum visual impact when planted with bedding flowers and be practically achievable by the gardens’ expert horticultural team.
“The four-colour rule might seem tricky at first, but it’s actually what will make designs really pop!” explains Garden Curator, Andy Boyton at Springfields Festival Gardens. “Some of the world’s most iconic flags use a small number of bold colours. It’s about choosing your colours carefully and creating something simple but striking.
“We can’t wait to see what young designers come up with!”
CEO Marion Durose said: “In 60 years, someone might look at historical records and see that a local student designed our flag in 2026.
“That’s a wonderful piece of heritage to create.
“We’re giving young people the chance to quite literally leave their mark on our gardens, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Designs should be on the A4 paper entry form in landscape format. Entry forms are available from www.springfieldsfestivalgardens.org.uk or through schools.
The deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday, February 13, 2026.
Picture by Peter Scharff.
