Eloise is top of the crops with her super sunflower

A total of 20 schools participated in the competition, but it was Longroyde Junior School that came out on top, thanks to the efforts of Year six pupil, Eloise Denney.

Her flower reached the height equivalent to a whopping 9ft 8inches; larger than the tallest man in the world.

She wins a £250 book voucher for her school, as well as a £20 book voucher for herself.

Pam Clarke, extended schools coordinator at Longroyde Junior School, said: “This was a fun competition for our pupils to take part in, and we’re delighted to have beaten 19 other schools in the region. We’re looking forward to buying a host of new books. Energy efficiency is also a serious issue, and it was also a good opportunity to talk to our pupils about this important topic.”

The competition was launched in March by Brighouse-based energy efficiency specialist Ploughcroft, which provided schools across Yorkshire and Humber with packets of sunflower seeds and information packs as part of its drive to educate young people in the importance of caring for the environment.

Chris Hopkins, Managing Director at Ploughcroft, said: “We’ve been amazed by the amount of entries we received in our competition, and couldn’t believe how tall some of the sunflowers were.

“We hope Eloise and the rest of the school enjoy their new books and we want to thank everyone for taking part. We hope the kids continue with their new hobby and continue to grow more sunflowers next year.”