Fourteen local businesses and voluntary groups have been awarded certificates of achievement in the South West in Bloom competition in 2021.
The Royal William Yard hosted the awards with entries from Plymouth, Bere Alston, Gunnislake and Liskeard. The awards were presented by Richard Taylor, a judge from Bovey Tracey and co-ordinator for Devon, who invited more entries in the future.
The themes of the awards were Enhancing, Productive, Ingenious and Caring (EPIC).
Enhancing the landscape with Planting and Art. Bere Alston won the Denise James Art Trophy, the first award of this new category. Denise James was the Secretary of South West in Bloom and the new award marks her service to the Bloom movement. The art included a trail of metal dragonflies and two floral half men, a top and bottom half. A notable exhibit was the floral galleon in Notte Street from Plymouth Community Homes and a floral dinghy from Pembroke EMB also featured. Attractive plantings by residents surround residential flats in the Barbican at Castle Street. Two new groups, Woolwell in Bloom and St Matthew’s Church Elburton improved local open space with plants.
Three business entries presented with awards in a competition to use flowers and plants to enhance their premises and encourage patronage. They were Royal William Yard, Liskeard Traders Association and MEMCO flowerbeds at the Millfields site. This is in addition to Plymouth Waterfront Business Improvement District being awarded a Gold Award at the Regional Awards last month.
Productive groups grow fruit vegetables and herbs in addition to flowers. These ranged from a rooftop garden at Morley Court in the centre of Plymouth to keen volunteers in Gunnislake with flowers around the village and a community allotment. Freedom Fields Park grow vegetables as well as the park plantings.
Groups were Ingenious in making bird boxes, hedgehog houses, compost bins, tool racks, knitting for displays, restoring lawn mowers and wheelbarrows and building walls. ARC Metals made the hull and sails for the Mayflower Galleon in Notte St, a work of great ingenuity.
Caring was an important theme of the awards. Plymouth Horticultural Therapy Trust received an outstanding award and a special discretionary award for their work with disabled clients during lockdown. They counselled and supported them, as well as growing fruit vegetables and flowers. With special arrangements in place they were able to keep the Trust open through lockdowns. This was reported in the RHS Garden magazine and Deb Hoskin from the Trust was interviewed on Radio 5 Live. Clients from this site also helped with the MEMCO flower beds.
Liskeard Foyer run by Live West won an award for its garden, vegetable growing and orchard. Activities for children to do in gardens when home schooling during lockdown was written and distributed. Another need that was met was the provision of additional outdoor seating to facilitate people meeting outside.
