Congratulations to Oldham who scooped Gold & Category Winner in the City category at the 50th Britain in Bloom UK Final awards, Europe’s biggest community gardening campaign now run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) last week.
There are more than 3,900 Bloom groups throughout Britain. Of these, just 71 finalists were chosen to represent their Region or Nation in the UK Finals, Oldham is representing the North West.
In July / August, the RHS Britain in Bloom judging panel, led by Roger Burnett toured the UK. This year for one year only Jim Buttress, BBC Great Allotment Challenge Judge and former head judge of RHS Britain in Bloom returned to the panel.
They met community representatives of each finalist and visited local projects assessing against three key criteria: horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental responsibility.
Commenting on Oldham in Bloom’s efforts, RHS judges Roger Burnett and Jim Buttress said: ‘Oldham has got to be the entry others aspire to. No stone has been left unturned in striving to achieve horticultural excellence in a sustainable manner through effective community participation. A superb example of what can be achieved in these challenging economic times by working with all partners. The underlying factor that shines out is the unbelievable community participation, a very worthy category and gold medal-winning entry.’
The RHS Britain in Bloom awards are a chance to celebrate the work of dedicated volunteers across the UK, of which there are up to 300,000, and to recognise achievement, innovation and a commitment to keeping our villages, towns and cities clean, green and thriving.
Bloom volunteers collectively invest nearly 11 million hours every year into local Bloom activities, which equates to almost £70 million at the National Minimum Wage. It is hoped that the transformation of community spaces championed at the RHS Britain in Bloom awards ceremony will encourage even more people to get involved and help continue to make a positive difference over the next 50 years.
RHS Ambassador Adam Frost, who has won six Gold medals at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and started his career in a local authority parks department, hosted the annual ceremony, held this year at the Bristol Marriott City Centre and attended by almost 400 community gardening champions.
Adam said: ‘In my early career I was involved in Britain in Bloom and in April this year I helped launch the 50th anniversary of this fantastic campaign. So, I know all about the amazing work that the thousands of Bloom volunteers up and down the country do on a daily basis. It’s such an honor to be asked to present the awards to those who have made it to the national finals – they are all inspirational people.’
A number of discretionary awards were also given to communities and individuals who demonstrated excellence in a particular area of the campaign. These included awards for young people’s involvement, environmental sustainability and community-wide participation, amongst others. Oldham received the RHS Britain in Bloom Horticulture Award for demonstrating the best horticultural practice throughout the entry. Oldham in Bloom has been running a campaign called ‘Bloom and Grow’ for several years encouraging community groups and businesses to organise horticultural initiatives. **
