Crawley wins Britain in Bloom!
Crawley has won silver gilt and category winner prizes at the 2010 Britain in Bloom Awards – the first time the town has won the prestigious national competition.
Crawley was victorious in the large town/small city category, up against Bedford (Bedfordshire), Derry City (Northern Ireland), Fareham (Hampshire) and Whitehaven (Cumbria).
And the successes didn’t end there. Let’s FACE it! was crowned the best community project in the entire country when it picked up the Britain in Bloom Community Award.
And the residents of Bolney Court, in Bewbush, gained UK-wide recognition when they were awarded an It’s Your neighbourhood National Certificate of Distinction – a terrific achievement for them and for Crawley.
The results were announced at about 9.30pm yesterday (September 29) at a ceremony in Birmingham.
The Britain in Bloom judges’ said: “Crawley is to be congratulated on its Let’s FACE it! scheme, which has been embraced by every neighbourhood and has developed impressive support for the overall Bloom campaign.
“The town is developing a good balance between traditional floral displays and more sustainable planting schemes.
“The impact of the Bloom campaign was clearly evident throughout the town.
Crawley is a well deserved category winner. Congratulations to all involved.”
The judges also said that the “superb planting outside the Town Hall” was probably the best they had seen. They added that Tony Massimo’s allotment “was the best they had ever seen”.
They also liked the Bloom Boom campaign, being impressed with the “imaginative use of artwork in the town centre”.
Councillor Lenny Walker, Cabinet member for Leisure and Cultural Services,
said: “This is, yet again, even more fantastic news for the town.
“A huge amount of effort from council staff and volunteers go into making the town look as good as possible all year round. This summer was the best I can remember it – and the judges obviously agreed.
“Not only did the floral displays look great but the community was heavily involved too, something which the judges noted. This coming on the back of The Hawth’s Going Global grant award puts Crawley on the map nationally and projects a really positive image of the town.
“Well done to everyone involved – and who knows, maybe gold next year?”
This fantastic news follows the recent successes at the South and South East in Bloom Awards.
The town scooped the gold and category winner prizes for the large town/small city category at the awards on September 10. Crawley also achieved a stack of other awards at the South and South East in Bloom ceremony for its high quality parks and open spaces and the amazing work of community groups.
