Elswick has secured the gold award for best North West village in the Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom finals.
The 45 UK finalists landed nominations after impressing the judges in their regional and national competitions, aiming to limit their environmental impact with more water butts, recycled materials and drought-tolerant species than ever before.
In addition to gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze medals, groups competed in categories including town, village and business improvement district to be named overall category winners and were nominated for a series of discretionary awards by a panel of judges.
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Darren Share, a chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “Congratulations to all the finalists for putting on such impressive displays this year while embracing sustainable horticulture.
“We enjoyed seeing the forward-thinking ways groups work to make their planting more resilient to climate change and contribute to carbon reduction in their communities. Amersham were well-deserving winners, with their stunning horticulture backed up with a holistic approach to benefiting nature and the environment.”
Amersham in Buckinghamshire took the top prize, crowned overall winner alongside a gold medal and winning their category (town), wowing judges with their sustainable displays, innovative projects and engagement with the community.
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The town also scooped the sustainability award for their holistic approach to planet-friendly horticulture, ensuring there were flowering varieties year-round, swapping out short-lived annuals and increasing wildflowers in the town by 30 per cent.
Category winners also included:
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Other winners included Danny Poland from the Cumbrian village of Irthington – a first-time competitor. Danny won the young champion award as he and his team combatted the dry weather with his inventive ‘hydration station’ – a bicycle towing a water butt.
Kingsbridge in Devon won the award for horticultural excellence, with their plants ‘exceptionally well-cared for and still in prime condition’ at the end of summer, including their ‘eye-catching’ tranquillity trail.
Rachel de Thame said: “It has been fantastic to celebrate gardening groups from across the UK who contribute so much to their communities.
“From helping wildlife to engaging young people in the power of plants and helping grow a green future, all the volunteers work tirelessly to create areas of which local people can be proud. Britain is most certainly blooming.”
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Winners were presented with their trophies at the RHS Britain in Bloom 2022 awards ceremony, held in London, and unveiled to the public on BBC One’s The One Show.
For more information, visit www.rhs.org.uk/get-involved
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