IMAGINE A CITY
WITH NO FLOWERS
PAGE 20 • FESTIVE NEWS • DECEMBER 2014
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Imagine a town with no flowers! No, not a bad dream but a reality which
faced Hereford earlier this year when Herefordshire Council announced it
had no money to plant up the flower beds and planters around the city. No
splash of floral colour to brighten up the c ity and just as the new £90m
shopping development was about to open Not a very cheerful welcome for
the thousands of extra visitors expected to be attracted to the city.
But the volunteers of Hereford in Bloom, determined to hold on to the city’s
Gold Medal status in the Britain in Bloom competition came up with their
own ‘flower power’ rescue plan. to ensure the beds and planters would, as
usual, be full of colourful and cheerful annuals – a partnership with the City
Council in which the Bloom group would raise the £8,000 for plants and
the City Council would fund the cost of watering . Balfour Beatty agreed to
do the planting. The result: A great floral display which won praise from
the judges and from the public – and another Gold Medal!
Now, the ‘Bloomers’ together with the city council are planning to repeat
the exercise for the Spring and Summer of 2015 and to make the city suitably impressive to welcome thousands of visitors to the 300th anniversary
of the famous Three Choirs Festival. Sponsors are urgently needed for
roundabouts and flower beds to help fund the cost of the plants.. Contact
the sponsorship officer Kevin Knipe for information about the business opportunities available. at md@merchantmetals.co.uk
But the judges are not just interested in pretty flower beds. Their judging
criteria includes environmental responsibility, sustainability and evidence
of community action to foster a healthy and developing sense of civic pride.
Hereford won top marks in virtually all categories. The judges were especially impressed with the expanding number of community action groups
taking responsibility for, and improving, a variety of public open spaces.
These included the Grandstand Road Residents Association, Central Tupsley group who have worked wonders in the Old Quarry and the Putson group
which is creating a community garden at the Saxon Hall centre.
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