BLOOMING BRITAIN! DERRY WINS GOLD IN BEST SMALL CITY AT HORTICULTURAL AWARDS

Derry city council staff picking up the Gold Awar for Best Small City in Britain Bloom 2017

DERRY is celebrating after it was awarded a Gold in the Small City category. 

The champagne corks were popping on Friday night for the council the Britain and Bloom Awards 2017 which were held in Llandudno, Wales.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Maoliosa McHugh extended his congratulations to the council’s maintenance staff headed up. by Danny McCartney

“This title is just reward for the dedication of Council’s Ground Maintenance and Street Cleansing sections in developing and maintaining the vast network of flowers and shrubbery around the locality,” she said.

“Our plant and floral presentations, grass cutting and cleansing regimes are crucial in presenting the City and District as a welcoming place to visitors and they help communities develop a sense of civic pride.

“The colourful and vibrant displays have really helped give our public areas a visual lift in recent years, particularly in the summer months, and it is no surprise that it has been recognised at such a high level.”

The full results for the finalists representing Northern Ireland are:

The eight joined Britain in Bloom groups from across the UK at the RHS Britain in Bloom awards ceremony, hosted by TV presenter and renowned garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair.

RHS judges visited the 78 finalists over the summer to assess each group against three key criteria: community participation, environmental responsibility and horticultural achievement.

Depending on the standard reached, a Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver or Bronze medal is awarded, with a winner in each category and discretionary awards for achieving excellence in particular fields.

Between them, this year’s Britain in Bloom finalists planted over a million trees, bulbs and other plants, transforming villages, towns and cities into green havens that lift people’s spirits and improve their wellbeing.

Roger Burnett, Chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “It’s a huge honour to witness how Britain in Bloom brings people together and the lengths that groups go to to make their communities clean, green and beautiful. We saw an incredible diversity of different planting schemes, including wildflower meadows for wildlife, community food growing and plants chosen to cope with our changing climate.

“This year, the standard was as high as ever but what really stood out was the creativity and ingenuity that groups showed in tackling the specific challenges of their particular areas, whether that be lack of funding, local social issues or tricky site conditions.”

Britain in Bloom is now in its 53 year and, for the first time, a new BBC Two series following the quintessentially British competition is set to air in spring 2018.