RHS Britain in bloom

The 16 Region/ Nations in Bloom: RHS

BRITAIN in Bloom Anglia in Bloom IN BLOOM Beautiful

Cumbria in Bloom Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest horticultural campaign. Every year more than 200,000 volunteers in Bloom take part, donating more than 4.4 million hours of their Floral time to projects that benefit the wider community.* Any

Heart of England in Bloom community, no matter how large or small, can join. in Bloom What do Bloom groups do? London in Bloom One of the greatest strengths of the campaign is that it enables communities to focus Northumbria in Bloom on initiatives that are most relevant to their own needs. This means that groups take responsibility for an enormous range of activities, for example they could be: North West in Bloom • Maintaining local parks and engaging the community in their ongoing care. South & South East in Bloom • Establishing school/youth projects (i.e. supporting school gardens and environmental projects, installing bug hotels, bird/bat boxes) South West in Bloom • Bulb and tree planting • Cleaning up (i.e. litter picks, renovating street furniture and signage, coordinating litter Thames & Chilterns in Bloom awareness campaigns and clearing derelict sites) • Regenerating neglected areas to create vibrant new green spaces for the community. Translink in Bloom • Managing feature floral displays • Caring for the natural environment (i.e. creating wildflower meadows and conservation in Bloom areas, reintroducing native plants or controllng the spread of invasive species, introducing community composting schemes and recycling of green waste, developing in Bloom sustainable planting schemes and reducing wastage).

To find out more about the varied work that Bloom groups do, read Growing Communities

Who do we contact What are the benefits? with questions? The communities that participate in RHS Britain in Bloom benefit in a variety of ways but the most commonly cited benefits are: Your first point of contact with questions should be your Region/Nation • Cleaner and greener surroundings • A greater commitment to Alternatively please contact the • A stronger sense of community environmental issues, with more RHS Community Horticulture team: • Increased civic pride and community sustainable resource management, [email protected] or empowerment, with people engaged recycling and conservation 020 7821 3069 in the improvement of their • A reduction in anti-social behaviour own community • A positive effect on the local • Regeneration of run down areas economy, with increased commercial • Safer environments enterprise and tourism.

* Figures from Britain in Bloom: Transforming local communities (2011). This document can be downloaded from “Britain in Bloom has enabled us to grow relationships, www.rhs.org.uk/britaininbloom communities as well as plants,” in Bloom campaign work? How doesthe scheme toestablish newprojects locally] IYN groups, Bloom groups can usetheIYN local area. [Where there are noexisting sharing acommongoaltoimprove the local It’sYour Neighbourhood(IY)groups, groups also work inpartnershipwiththeir and projects withschools.LotsofBloom planting days, ‘front garden’ competitions activities mightincludelitter picks,bulb- community groups andvolunteers. These involve local people,thecouncil,businesses, round events, projects andactivities that social behaviour toimproving prideofplace. conservation andrecycling; dealingwithanti- everything from litter andgraffiti removal to RHS Britain inBloom’sthree core pillars: Groups taking partfocus theirinitiatives on other European countries. in Europe, alongsidecommunities from 10 UK Finals JudgingPanel torepresent theUK Britain inBloomfinalistsare invited by the not apartofBritain inBloom,every year two competition, Entente Florale . Whilethisis consistently achieved ahigh standard. of Champions,for finalistentries whohave category tothoselisted above: Champion ceremony intheautumn. and theresults are announcedatanawards takes placeinthefirsttwo weeks ofAugust Regions andNations.UKFinals judging 70 finalistsnominated from across the16 run by theRHS.There are usuallyaround Bloom thefollowing year. TheUKFinals are part intheUKFinals ofRHS Britain in campaign they can benominated totake queries aboutthis. Please contact themdirectly ifyou have any and theirjudgingaward ceremony dates. campaigns, includingtheirjudgingcriteria out thefull details ofparticipationintheir box for Regions andNationsinBloom). Region/Nation’s campaign. (seeleft-hand Britain inBloomby taking partintheir Communities beginthejudgedlevels of JUDGING Most groups organise arange ofyear- This meansthatBloomgroups tackle • • • In addition,there isalsoaEuropean The UKFinals have oneadditional If groups do well intheirRegion/ Nation’s The Regions/ NationsinBloomsend Community Participation Environmental Responsibility Horticultural Achievement

Chris King Hackney, EastLondon to encourage stag beetlesin Volunteers buildaloggery Who can getinvolved? for visitors.Entries inthecategory are splitinto two dependent onelectoral roll. access ofthelocal community.Thearea willhave facilities providing varied recreational opportunities harbour (whichcan bepartofacommercial harbour),adjacent toorwithin easyandreasonable such as‘Campsites &Holiday Parks’ or ‘Hotels andRestaurants’etc. categories, someofthe16Regions/Nations inBloomhave theirown additionalcategories, category (seecore categories below) basedonitselectoral roll. Inadditiontothesecore large orsmall,can getinvolved. Whenacommunityjoinsthecampaign itisassignedtoa Coastal** (over 12,000) Coastal** (upto12,000) Urban Community * Large City City Small City Large T T Small T Large Village Village Small Village Category ** Acoastal communityisanarea thatactively encourages visitors witharesort, beachand/or Everyone! Britain inBloomisaninclusive campaign andany community,nomatter how own own own 12,001 andabove 12,000 andbelow 0 –25,000 200,001 andover 100,001 -200,000 35,001 -100,000 12,001 -35,000 6,001 -12,000 2,501 -6,000 1,001 –2,500 301 –1,000 300 andunder Electoral Roll RHS It’sYour Neighbourhoodprogramme a firstintroduction toBloom,there isthe will have itsown ‘senseofplace’ council, orbeabletostand alone,butit urban communitymay nothave itsown leading theBloominitiative locally). An “Bloom” group (agroup dedicated to own senseofidentity andhave itsown ‘village’ or‘town’). Itmusthave its (sometimes describedasanurban community withinalarger conurbation for theirfull listofcategories. Please contact your Region/ Nation RHS Britain inbloom For smallercommunitygroups, oras *An urbancommunityisanidentifiable