East Staffordshire Borough Council has triumphed again this year at the Heart of England In Bloom annual awards ceremony, with a huge haul of medals being won in all categories.
The main In Bloom entries: Burton, Uttoxeter and Winshill, all received Gold awards, with Uttoxeter also winning the accolade of category winners making them the best floral entry for a small town in the West Midlands. This success follows on from over a decade of continuous gold standard entries for both Burton and Uttoxeter. Winshill has also enjoyed gold for many years and all three have enjoyed national success in the past few years.
Burton also won a special award for its innovative and creative floral designs, which incorporate traditional annual bedding schemes combined with perennial planting and insect friendly wildflowers.
Judges stated that Burton is one of the most innovative and creative towns in the Midlands with its approach to floral work and is leading the way in sustainable horticulture, further underlining the Council’s commitment to climate change and nature recovery.
Two of Winshill’s leading community volunteers also won awards for their outstanding individual achievements.
In the parks category East Staffordshire Borough Council entered 13 sites and received 6 Gold medals, including Stapenhill Gardens, Stapenhill Cemetery, Bramshall Road Park, Mill Hill Lane Park and Newton Road Park. Four Silver Gilt medals were also achieved, along with three silver to round out the success.
The Council also supported and helped to resource 22 “It’s Your Neighbourhood (IYN)” entries. These are organised and managed by community volunteers who all aspire to improve their local environment.
As well as enhancing the Borough at a local level there are also health and well-being benefits to these projects, such as reducing social isolation and getting people active.
Other indirect enhancements include increased community cohesion and a reduction in anti-social behaviour. The IYN entries were awarded 9 Gold standard awards, 8 Silver Gilt and 5 Silver.
Councillor Dennis Fletcher, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “It is wonderful to see the Borough’s beautiful open spaces get the recognition they deserve. I would like to thank all of those who have worked so hard to help us achieve In Bloom and IYN success and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve next year!”