BLOOMIN’ beautiful Oldham has once again scooped the Best City prize at the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious North West in Bloom competition.
The judges were extremely impressed with the town and awarded the borough The Best City are (based on the size of the electoral).
Oldham also won the Best Feature in a Public Place Award for the WOW bed, and gold in Best Town Centre Awards – the highest that can be achieved in the category.
Oldham Council’s Head of Environmental Services, Glenn Dale, was also awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award for his hard work on the campaign year after year.
The awards took place at a ceremony held in Southport in November, attended by community gardeners from across the region.
This is now the eighth year in a row the borough’s entry, Bloom and Grow, has stolen the show and won the trophy.
Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Cooperatives, said: “To win Best City for eight years in a row is a truly outstanding achievement and a real honour for our borough.
“The displays from our Environmental Team, as ever, have impressed the public and the RHS judges.
“Our Bloom and Grow campaign is a real team effort and it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of our dedicated residents, schools, communities and businesses.
“I’d like to thank everyone for doing their bit coming together and helping secure this brilliant victory.
“A lot of people show pride in our borough so let’s make sure that it’s reflected by how we make it look in the future.”
The theme for this year’s campaign was ‘Greening Grey Britain’ – which focussed on conservation and wildlife, encouraging residents to grow plants in towns and cities where ever possible.
The WOW bed centrepiece display in the town centre features a ‘Bug Hotel’ complete with oversized bugs and a reception area, welcoming people to the town.
And the display is currently in a transitional stage to mark Halloween and will transform again into a Christmas wonderland.
You must be logged in to post a comment.