Shrewsbury in Bloom Portfolio – 2014
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Portfolio 2014 2010 Contents Councillor Beverley Baker – A Warm Welcome 1 Mayor of Shrewsbury Shrewsbury in Bloom Committee 2 As the Mayor of Shrewsbury it is my pleasure to welcome you to Shropshire’s Review of the Year 4-7 County Town. Illustrating your Achievements We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to once again showcase our horticultural prowess, especially this year as we compete to be the best Horticultural Achievement 8-12 of the best and hope to walk away with the Champion of Champions title. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our endlessly enthusiastic Bloom Environmental Responsibility 13-18 Committee who, along with our sponsors and partners, work hard throughout the year to make Shrewsbury a blooming great place to live, work and visit. Community Participation 19-24 With my creative background I think working towards Bloom is like putting Conclusion and Future Developments on a professional production in a theatre, many people are involved to ensure a quality presentation, it’s hard work but worth the time. We take Key Achievements in 2013/14 25 our reputation as a Town of Flowers seriously and it’s a mantle we strive to uphold 365-days a year. Mayor of Shrewsbury, Feedback and Actions 26 We are extremely lucky that our medieval county town is most definitely one Councillor Mrs Beverley Baker of those hidden gems in the English Crown, providing the most wonderful Key Aims and Objectives for 2014/15 27 stage upon which we are able to showcase our floral displays. Appendices 28-29 Jackie Brennand – Chairman, Shrewsbury in Bloom Cover image of the Dingle and photo on P24 by Lorraine Fletcher Lorraine Fletcher is an amateur photographer from Shrewsbury. She first picked up a camera just over a year ago in memory of her late father, a keen horticulturalist. Lorraine now spends much of her spare time capturing Shrewsbury’s many floral aspects and As chairman of Shrewsbury in Bloom I am so proud Shrewsbury Town Centre Residents Association, researching the town’s rich and vibrant history. to welcome you to our beautiful town of flowers, Shropshire Horticultural Society, the Big Tree Plant, especially this year as we strive to become Champion the Environment Agency, Paul Elton Photography, of Champions. Destination Shrewsbury, Jones Lang LaSalle, The Mount Residents, the Allotment Associations and The Bloom Committee, alongside extremely supportive Tidy Shrewsbury. Town and Unitary Councils, has managed to embed the Bloom ethos across everything the town does, touching Together these people, in conjunction with Shrewsbury every walk of life and every generation. Town Council, make Shrewsbury the blooming Original One-Off that it is. In Shrewsbury we don’t do Bloom just to win a competition, we do what we do for our residents and visitors. We don’t peak for judging, we peak for the height of our summer and the visitor season. So many community groups, organisations and individuals work tirelessly to uphold our floral reputation – these are the people that make Bloom happen. They include; Young Offenders, HMS Talent, Caterpillar, Severnside Housing Association, West Mercia Police Constabulary, Fire Service, Severn Hospice, The Hive; Castlefields Residents, Shropshire Council, Veolia, Britain in Bloom Public Park Award 1 The Shrewsbury in Bloom Committee • The Shrewsbury in Bloom Committee meets on • The town’s sponsors range from franchises of a regular basis all year round, but more frequently large corporations to small, local independent during the summer months, to plan floral displays companies and are: Morris Properties; Veolia in and around the town. Income is generated from Environmental Services; Albright Hussey Manor Hotel actively marketing, promoting and selling hanging & Restaurant; Crowmoor Primary School; Ironcraft baskets to local businesses in the town centre of Shrewsbury; James Holyoak & Parker Limited; and by seeking floral sponsorship for roundabouts, W R Pugh Undertakers; Marches Care Ltd; Ray planters and other floral beds. Parry Playground Services; Alan Ward Furnishers; Greenthumb; Copthorne Road Vets; Sign & Poster; • The Committee is principally made up of volunteers MiPower Limited; Bannatynes Health Club; The from the local community and businesses. There are Mulberry Bush; Bluebird Care; Dyke Yaxley, Solictors; currently 9 volunteer members, 3 council officers and Kingsland Polymers; Whitecroft Fish & Chip Shop; 2 councillors who work closely with all its partners First Car; Lunts The Chemist; Sign & Print; Oxon to ensure the town always looks its best. Touring Park; The Parade Shopping Centre; Salop Leisure; and McDonalds. • The group’s main objective is to act as a stakeholder for new ideas and projects to enhance the town. • The committee is dedicated to working with local primary schools and launched its own online • Shrewsbury currently has 30 business sponsors, educational programme, ‘Get Schools Blooming’ which over the past twelve months (01/04/13— in 2011. The scheme aims to encourage and support 31/03/14), has generated an income of £23,234, local primary schools to create and actively use a and represents an increase on the previous year school garden. Members of the committee are also of over £3,700. A total of 250 commercial hanging actively involved in supporting their local schools and baskets were sold last year, raising almost £11,000 are happy to provide hands-on help and advice to and numbers continue to rise year on year, despite young gardeners and also encourage schools to the recovering economic climate. This is an excellent enter the various floral competitions supported by response to our continuing work with companies and both Heart of England in Bloom and Shrewsbury is testament to the pride and commitment of local Town Council. businesses here in Shrewsbury to the visual impact of the floral displays around the town. • Shrewsbury in Bloom has its own website www.shrewsburyinbloom.co.uk which is updated on a regular basis and is used to promote projects, events and activities, display schools’ work and announce winners of competitions. The Dingle The big tree plant, Belle Vue 2 3 November 2013 January 2014 Review of the Year • The community came together to celebrate the • Shrewsbury’s towering Town Crier, Martin Wood, Christmas lights switch-on which included Father was shortlisted for the Visit England “England Tourism Christmas on his sleigh in the Square as well as Superstar” national award. He is one of ten nominees bands, carol singers and choirs all joining in the fun from across the country to be nominated as a Tourism July 2013 September 2013 around the town to entertain the crowds and herald Superstar the start of “late-night shopping” in the town • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed the • Shrewsbury won a Gold Award and was joint winner • Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Jon Tandy, birth of their first child, Prince George of Cambridge. of the Small City Category at the Heart of England • Bulb planting sessions held by Councillors Keith entertained visitors from Shanghai on a fact-finding Royal Proclamation delivered by the Town Crier in Awards Ceremony held at Drayton Manor Park Roberts and Mrs Kath Owen and the Mayor of tour of the town the Square Shrewsbury, Councillor Jon Tandy in various • Shrewsbury Fields Forever festival held at the West locations in their Wards • With river levels still high, the flood defences in the • The results for Shrewsbury in Bloom’s annual school Midlands Showground town once again remain in place for two weeks gardens competitions were announced, the winner • Pupils from Mereside Primary School scatter poppy of the schools’ unusual floral container category was • First “Buggy Fit” race held in the Quarry park, seeds to create a poppy field in preparations for the Greenfields Primary School, whilst Crowmoor Primary encouraging new mothers to consider their fitness First World War commemorations the following year School won the award for their Wildlife garden. Young levels February 2014 gardener of the year was awarded to Tilly Thomas- Neath from Greenfields Primary School • Over 400 Morris Dancers visited Shrewsbury • After another two weeks of flooding, the flood barriers for the Morris Federation Day of Dancing December 2013 finally came down in Shrewsbury allowing the town • Shrewsbury’s Incredible Edible theme for Britain in to return to normal Bloom saw allotment planters installed in the Square. • The Big Tree Plant saw 150 trees and 7,500 Planted and grown by local schools and assisted by transplants planted across the county their local allotment gardens, the displays attracted October 2013 plenty of praise • Shrewsbury businesses team up to produce a unique March 2014 • Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Buttermarket raising online “advent calendar” highlighting the diversity of • Shrewsbury Town Council reaches the milestone • Shrewsbury welcomed the judges in the Heart funds for Severn Hospice, the Mayor’s chosen charity local independent retailers in the town of over 1,000 followers on Twitter of England in Bloom competition • Spring bedding planting programme completed • A “Made in Shropshire” arts and craft market featured in the early part of the month 36 local producers and attracted over 2,000 people • Shrewsbury named in The Sunday Times Best to the event Places to Live in Britain list August 2013 • The annual Town of Flowers awards ceremony took place at the Guildhall • Shrewsbury’s annual pantomime at the Theatre • Real ale lovers raised a glass as an international • Judging in the Small City category for RHS Britain Severn started its six-week run beer festival started in Shrewsbury in Bloom • Britain in Bloom awards ceremony at Cleethorpes, where Shrewsbury won Gold and won the Small City • Despite heavy rain and strong winds, more than • Voting commenced for Visit England’s National • Shrewsbury Town Council and members of the Category.