Aldi-fresco garden revamp competition winners
Love Island-inspired garden revamp wins Aldi-Fresco competition
The Love Island fire pit – TV’s hottest spot for tiffs and texts – has just landed a Kent couple £1,000 in Aldi vouchers
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A couple from Kent were inspired by the Love Island villa to transform their outdoor space with a cosy fire pit corner.
Joanna and Aaron Thomas entered their project into the ‘Aldi-Fresco’ garden revamp competition and beat hundreds of entrants to be crowned champions, bagging them £1,000 in Aldi vouchers.
The Love Island-inspired fire pit. Photo: Aldi
The garden transformation
Their lovingly renovated outdoor space featured a dedicated BBQ space and homemade pub, named The Mulberry Arms, as well as a self-build garden fire pit.
NHS worker Joanna and Senior Sales Executive Aaron, who have been married for 10 years and have two young children, recently moved in to their four-bedroom detached house in Hoo.
‘We had so many issues moving into this home,’ said Aaron. ‘It was stop-start for a long time due to the pandemic, so when we finally got in we really wanted to make the most of our outdoor area.
The couple even built their own garden pub. Photo: Aldi
The Thomas family constructed the entire thing themselves, with the pub presenting the biggest challenge: ‘There was some help from my dad and my brother in construction,’ said Aaron, ‘but I was left to my own devices when fixing the roof shingles and interior flooring.’
They now plan to use the Aldi shopping vouchers to keep the shelves of The Mulberry Arms stocked for summer parties.
The fire pit area and garden pub at night. Photo: Aldi
Raising the Barbeque
Aldi launched the competition in June as part of its Raising the Barbeque campaign, calling on the nation’s most creative DIY renovators to showcase their outdoor havens.
Research by Aldi showed that 32 million Brits have revamped – or plan to revamp – their outdoor areas this year. Garden transformations galore came pouring in from across the country, but it was this ‘wow factor’ renovation that really caught the judge’s eye.
The supermarket enlisted the help of DIY aficionados Shelley and Ashley Sargeant from Doncaster to help review the competition entries, after their own garden transformation, created using upcycled palettes, went viral on Facebook.
Shelley and Ashley Sargeant’s Doncaster garden transformation. Photo: Aldi
‘We loved all the entries, it was so hard to choose,’ said the couple: ‘Especially as they were all different and had their own great qualities.
‘But Joanna and Aaron blew us away with their incredible space, which you can tell a lot of love and energy went into. We could definitely see ourselves having a glass of wine or two in front of that fire pit!’
Aaron and Joanna Thomas enjoy their new garden. Photo: Aldi
Feeling inspired? Check out Aldi’s selection of garden furniture and accessories such as the Wicker Garden Coffee Set (£299.99), 2-in-1 Grill & Firepit (was £229.99, now £149.99), Decorative Gazebo (£99.99), Premium BBQ outdoor kitchen station (£499.99) and Kids Striped Swing Bench (£39.99).
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