Farnham in Bloom has achieved its best ever performance at this year’s South and South East in Bloom awards in what was a very challenging year.
The results were announced on Friday 29 September at a ceremony held at RHS Wisley. In total, Farnham bagged nine gold awards with five best in category.
Councillor Matthew Brown, Lead Member for Environment says: “This is such a fantastic achievement for everybody who is involved in Farnham in Bloom.
“As one of the new councillors elected in May, it hasn’t taken long for me to see that Farnham in Bloom is about so much more than flowers. The focus of the campaign is very much about making Farnham an even more attractive place to live, work and visit, and bringing people together to work on initiatives that really enhance and engage the community. Congratulations to everybody who has contributed to the 2023 campaign, and thank you to all our sponsors, particularly The Patio Blackspot Removal Company Ltd, BBS Ltd, Squire’s Garden Centre and the Wildflower Turf Company for joining us as Gold sponsors.”
Organising litter picks, projects with schools, planting trees, maintaining 12 wildflower areas, environmental initiatives, competitions and providing opportunities for community participation are just some of the opportunities that Farnham Town Council has provided for people to get involved and which saw it awarded a Gold for community engagement.
The awards which also celebrate the involvement of local community groups through the It’s Your Neighbourhood category also saw the best ever results with the Bourne Conservation Group receiving a Level 5 Outstanding Award in their first year of entry, alongside space2grow and Victoria Garden.
Councillor Graham White Co-Leader of Farnham Town Council said “This was my first experience of the South and South East in Bloom awards and it was a great privilege to see how much our community are engaged in making the town a better place. The actions collectively underpin the town’s success and help as we address issues of climate change and supporting biodiversity. I was delighted to see Farnham win best in category for the biodiversity and environmental innovation award which recognises the contribution of so many community groups supported by Farnham Town Council.”
The results for 2023 are:
- Town centre – Gold and best in category
- Large town – Gold and best in category
Small Cemetery Category
- Badshot Lea Cemetery – Gold and best in category
- Hale Cemetery – Gold
Large Cemetery Category
- West Street Cemetery – Gold
Small Park Category
- Gostrey Meadow – Gold and best in category
- Victoria Garden – Gold
Special Awards
- Best community engagement award – Gold
- Best biodiversity and environmental innovation award – Gold and best in category
The results of the It’s Your Neighbourhood categories are:
- space2grow – Level 5 Outstanding
- The Bourne Conservation Group – Level 5 Outstanding
- Victoria Garden – Level 5 Outstanding
- Badshot Lea Bloomers – Level 4 Thriving
- Hale Community Centre – Level 4 Thriving
Finally, in the Our Community Award space2grow received a Silver Gilt.
Anybody who is inspired by the success of Farnham in Bloom and thinks they would like to get involved in the 2024 campaign, can register their interest by emailing bloom@farnham.gov.uk.
