Monday 6 June 2011

It's Not The Winning...


...it's the taking part that counts and although this year The Plotting Shed (aka Grumpy's Palace) isn't a category winner I had a great time being involved in the competition.

The worthy winner of The Garden Office category was Calum's Shed, which is the head quarters of the charity Mary's Meals, a charity that supplies meals for chronically hungry children in developing countries. As I said, a worthy category winner.

1,570 sheds took part in the Shed of the Year 2011 Competition with 11,000 votes being made. Here are the rest of the category winners. Now the judges including Sarah Beeny and Simon Mayo will be choosing the ultimate winner during Shed Week which starts on 4th July.

Any shed owner who is considering taking part next year really should have a go, as a 2009 Category Winner I can assure you it's great fun.

Thanks once again for all the Tweets, Facebook sharing and voting.

Yesterday I took part in Race For Life with my daughter, sister & her dog, two neices and sis-in-law (with baby in pushchair). We all had great fun and as usual the Esplanade (along the beachfront) was awash with all shades of pink between 11 and 12noon. I've just heard on our local news that the 1,200+ women for this event raised approximately £100,000. Isn't that wonderful?

24 comments:

Chris Stovell said...

Huge congratulations to you and your daughter, sister, sis-in-law, nieces and dogs for helping to raise so much money for Race for Life.
Commiserations to the Plotting Shed - I SO wanted you to win.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

chris - aww, thanks for saying so, but I can't feel disappointed when such a good charity has won. Thanks for voting. x

Bluestocking Mum said...

You see, you're a winner anyway in our book.

And well done for doing the Race for Life. I'm very impressed. Good for you.

xx

PS - Love that picture of your doggy - gorgeous, grumpy boy ;)

galant said...

Ooh, very well done to all in Race for Life!
Margaret P

Talli Roland said...

Oh, blah. Well, at least you participated! I love your shed.

galant said...

Just a PS

While Mary's Meals Shed was a worthy winner becaues of the charity, apart from your own lovely plotting shed I didn't like any of the category winners at all and would not want any of them in my garden - oh, that sounds really mean, but if there is anthing I can't stand (apart from barbecues!) is it anything 'themed'. Disney was good at that, I wouldn't want anything with a theme in my garden, just somewhere comfortable to sit and contemplate and enjoy a good book and a cup of tea!
Margaret P

Melissa Amateis said...

I love looking at all the sheds - such creativity!

Congrats on participating in the Race for Life! A worthy cause.

Troy said...

I would have thought that a shed that provides chocolates to a hungry author would have trumped a large nissan hut providing food to hungry children in developing countries. (And the food must be cold by the time it gets to them).
Oh well - I voted for you anyway.

Karen said...

Well that's another winning picture of Grumps, anyway :o)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Well done on taking part, Debs, and on being involved in the Race for Life.

And what a lovely photo of Grumps!

Flowerpot said...

Sorry you didnt win, Debs - I wsa so sure you would! But welldone on the Race for Life too - what an amazing achievement!

Sue Guiney said...

Sorry you didn't win. Maybe next time? But it's great that you and yours did the charity race. I do the one in Hyde Park in September. It's an amazing feeling being a part of so many people all at once doing something for done else, isn't it? And I think the fact that it's only women makes it all the more special. Congrats.

Pauline Barclay said...

Well done on the race, and what a fantastic amount of money raised.

As for the shed, I'm sorry you didn't win, but from our point of view it's a winner! A gentle pat for Grumps! x

Anna Scott Graham said...

Would have loved to seen Grumpy's Palace take it again this year, but that is a pretty worthy charity in Grumpy's stead. Your walk sounds wonderful, a great accomplishment for such a grand time out!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Thanks for all the wonderful comments. It would have been fun to win, but I was happy that Callum's Shed was the winner.

The walk was great fun and the amount raised so high I'm thrilled to have been a part of it.

Feisty Crone said...

Well, I'm bummed that you didn't win, but glad that a worthy opponent took the prize. Kudo's to you an your family for participating in the Race for Life.

Phillipa Ashley said...

Huge congrats on the ROL effort and never mind the shed - G does look very PO, however...

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

gran - lol, thank.

phillipa - He does, doesn't he?

Carol said...

Congrats on the race for life.
That is an amazing total for one area.

Have a great weekend .

carol

Glynis Peters said...

I was only just telling my sister-in-law about your shed! She said she has a boring one, and we got onto the subject of the competition.

Fascinating.

Anonymous said...

Well done on the Race for Life thing!
Never mind about the shed competition. My mum always used to say that it’s not the winning or losing but the taking part that matters, although I always found that a bit difficult to swallow.

All the best, Boonie

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

carol - thanks, you too.

glynis - I'm sure her shed isn't boring. Mine is more messy than interesting, but still a calming place to be. Not sure how though!

boonie - thank you, it's always good fun to take part in Race For Life.

I didn't mind losing, although it would have been fun to win, but Calum's Shed is certainly a worthy winner.

Jan said...

I would love a shed!
JUst putting one up for my littles ( grandlittlies!) but I just might squeezzze in!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

jan - I spend a lot of my time in the shed and love being surrounded by all the bits that mean so much to me, but that the rest of the family don't appreciate :)