bloom-july18

Judges back in town to see floral entries
July 2018	Nantwich in Bloom - Working for the enviroment	A NANTWICH IN BLOOM PAGE

Information and image supplied by Sheryl Birtles, Nantwich Town Council's Marketing Manager

THE sun shone, the streets sparkled and everywhere the flower beds were looking fabulous. That's what greeted the North West in Bloom judges on Thursday, July 12.

For the past seven years, Nantwich has won Gold in the North West’s Best Town category and fingers are crossed for the same recognition this year.

A wonderful team made up of voluntary organisations including Nantwich In Bloom, Nantwich Litter Group and Nantwich Civic Society, work tirelessly alongside Cheshire East Council's Ansa street cleansing and ground maintenance business and Nantwich Town Council to promote horticultural excellence, environmental responsibility and make our town look as fabulous as it does.

In recent months, the team has been busy stocking, maintaining and continuously watering the town’s flower beds and hanging baskets, while developing areas such as the Community Orchard.

The route the judges took also incorporated visits to the town’s new initiatives which include an outdoor classroom at Coed Wen, the John Gerard herb planter at Nantwich Museum, a new bed and information point outside Nantwich Civic Hall, finishing at the poppy bed floral display, "Lest we Forget", next to the library.

The Mayor of Nantwich, Councillor David Marren, and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Arthur Moran, were on hand to meet the judges.

The Mayor later commented: “The Town Council attaches a great deal of importance to how the town looks because it is one of the main things that visitors say attracts them to Nantwich.

Mark Betteley (Treasurer, Nantwich in Bloom), the Deputy Mayor (Cllr Arthur Moran), Julie Norman and Malcolm Eubanks, the North West In Bloom judges, the Mayor of Nantwich (Cllr David Marren), and Tony Percival (Chairman, Nantwich In Bloom).

"We invest quite a lot in summer and winter bedding, hanging baskets and daily watering.

"Nantwich in Bloom and the Nantwich Litter Group are

fantastic partners and we couldn’t manage without them.

"On behalf of the Town Council I say 'Thank You' to both volunteer groups and, fingers crossed, we’ll do it again this year.”

How the committee fared in the competition

CCTV cameras captured vandalism of town centre floral displays

IN July, Nantwich in Bloom volunteers were dismayed to find that their hard work had been undone by vandalism in the town centre.

A group of youngsters damaged a planter and caused damage to some plants. CCTV footage led to the offenders being identified and interviewed by the Police with their parents in attendance.

All of those involved apologised for their reckless behaviour and sent personal letters of apology to Nantwich in Bloom. They also sent cheques to pay for re-planting and making good the damage.

TONY Percival, Chairman of Nantwich in Bloom, said: "Notwithstanding the wanton show of

vandalism, this incident galvanised public opinion across the town.

"The vandalism was widely condemned by local residents who voiced their views on social media.

"In addition, people went out of their way to say how much they valued the flower displays in the town and the efforts of the various organisations who work hard to make Nantwich look so welcoming throughout the year."

THE Mayor of Nantwich, Councillor David Marren, welcomed the actions of the responsible parents in ensuring that recompense was made to Nantwich in Bloom Committee.

He said: "The behaviour of these teenagers was clearly unacceptable, but it is encouraging that their parents responded.

"Hopefully, these incidents will not occur again and the efforts of the Nantwich in Bloom volunteers, who give their time to make the town attractive, will be more widely appreciated."

lNantwich Town Council supports the Nantwich in Bloom volunteers with an annual donation for their planting beds. It also purchases the hanging baskets and roadside plants, and pays for watering them.

See the Nantwich in Bloom page on Nantwich Town Council's website

Nantwich in Bloom website | Greenspaces South Cheshire CIC | Nantwich Civic Society | Nantwich Partnership | Nantwich Litter Group