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Hereford wins gold in bloom competition !!!


ragwert

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Taken from Herefordshire Council web site
 

Hereford scooped gold in this year’s Britain in Bloom competition run by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Green-fingered Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) helped secure the coveted accolade with vibrant floral displays.

Cllr Paul Rone, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said he was delighted that the city had secured top horticultural honours.

“This is a wonderful award and richly deserved by everyone who has worked so hard to make the city an even more attractive place, both for the people who live here and for our visitors. 

“I am delighted that BBLP has been able to support this campaign which brings communities together and does something that genuinely brightens local environments.â€

BBLP crews pulled out all the stops from designing colourful displays to reflect the 50th anniversary of the competition and the start of World War 1 to planting and maintaining the flower beds, planters and baskets.

Trevor Swindells, chairman of Hereford in Bloom, added: “I cannot praise the workforce of Balfour Beatty enough. They did a great job to ensure the judging went well.â€

Sean Pockett, BBLP’s ground maintenance supervisor, spoke of the pride the whole team felt about the competition: “This is much more than just a job for us. We are hugely proud that the planting schemes we’ve nurtured have proved a hit with the Britain in Bloom judges.â€

Among the colourful floral displays were swathes of poppies and many gold flowers to mark the two anniversaries.

Hereford in Bloom secured sponsorship to ensure the city bloomed and the City Council funded the watering.

Also, Pembridge and Lyonshall were awarded gold, Bromyard and Leominster were awarded silver gilt and Burghill picked up silver.

Judging criteria for the competition are: horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.

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I think the temporary "field" that the bull stood in was what swung it!

 

Seriously though, we should all applaud the efforts of Mr Swindells - no easy task at the best of times, even more difficult in these cash strapped times.

 

I also thought it was a lovely comment from Sean Pockett. It genuinely sounds as if the team involved with this project took a great deal of pride in it.

 

Well done to all involved!

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I know it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things but I am a little intrigued by Hereford scooping Gold in the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom comp.

 

1. There are quite a few categories allowing lots of different cities and towns and villages to win Gold.

 

2. Old Trev Swindells's comments were from a letter to the HT back in July:

Trevor Swindells, chairman of Hereford in Bloom, added: “I cannot praise the workforce of Balfour Beatty enough. They did a great job to ensure the judging went well.†Trevor Swindells didn't add anything, his letter pre-dates Hereford's Gold winning announcement .

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/letters/11379198.Letter_from_Trevor_Swindells__Chairman_of_Hereford_in_Bloom__says_we_can_all_do_our_bit_when_it_comes_to_litter_/

3. I can't find any reference on the RHS's website (or in regional or national news) to suggest Hereford won Gold (in what I presume would be the small city category).

 

 

RHS Britain in Bloom UK Finalists 2014 Entry Name

Category

Region / Nation

Aberdeen

City

Scotland

Ahoghill

Champion of

Champions

Ulster

Bath

Small City

South West

Belper

Large Town

East Midlands

Bracknell

Small City

Thames & Chilterns

Bray Village (Conservation Area)

Small Village

Thames & Chilterns

Bridgers Community Group (Leigh)

Urban Community

North West

Bridgnorth

Town

Heart of England

Carrickfergus

Large Town

Ulster

Chorley

Small City

North West

City of London

Champion of

Champions

London

Colwyn Bay

Large Town

Wales

Congleton

Large Town

North West

Cranbrook

Small Town

South East

Crawley

Small City

South East

Dalton with Newton

Town

Cumbria

Derry City

Small City

Ulster

Dufftown

Large Village

Scotland

Dunnington

Small Town

Yorkshire

Durham

Large Town

Northumbria

Elswick

Village

North West

Eston (Middlesborough)

Urban Community

Northumbria

Evington (Leicester)

Urban Community

East Midlands

Farnham

Large Town

South East

Filby

Village

Anglia

Filey

Coastal Up to 12k

Yorkshire

Glenarm

Village

Ulster

Glenrothes

Champion of

Champions

Scotland

Great Whittington

Small Village

Northumbria

Halstead

Town

Anglia

Harrogate

Small City

Yorkshire

Henley on Thames

Town

Thames & Chilterns

Hillingdon

Large City

London

Am I going bonkers? It is quite possible. Cllr Rone may know better. Perhaps he could jump down off his mower (if Richard Ball and Geoff Hughes allow him to) and point me in the right direction.

Perversely I have loved the unkempt verges with the abundance of Cow Parsley and wildflower but I do appreciate it has caused problems to an awful lot of people (several friends refused to ride their horses on the roads this years because of the risk caused by lack of visibility).

 

I am out in the mist and drizzle as I text, furiously digging in my display for next year. Gold by Spandau Ballet is blaring out from my sitting room, across my lawn towards me. I think of Daley Thompson (the BBC used the track to accompany a montage of him in action montage in the 80s) and am spurred onto wider, more grandiose design and digging, despite wanting to get in and free view It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on a dodgy internet link. I want Trevor Swindells to praise me in print. Most of all I want to be Daley Thompson, LA, 1984. If I dream it does it matter if it's not real? No it doesn't matter, says the press officer at HC, I know exactly where you are coming from dearheart.    

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I have the same vision but he's slurring it out loud in a 'tired and emotional' state at the Marches LEP annual dinner and drinkies Backhanders Ball with the three Bs house builders on their feet cheering and bellowing like posh boys from the edge of the dancefloor.

Can't believe you met Daley! Very jealous. In the para-phrased words of our esteemed Cllr Chappell, 'I'm off to bed before me temper makes me look like a deluded pratt'. Night dipster.

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  • 8 months later...

The Council seem to be doing more grass cutting in high profile areas in 2015 (Victoria St an example) in order to do well in this sort of competition. I was down Yazor Road yesterday as well and that large field was freshly mowed and the cuttings appeared to have been collected. Meanwhile Churchill Gardens is looking pretty rough. Totally overgrown.  :Hmm:

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