Belper Chosen to Represent East Midlands in 2017 RHS Britain in Bloom Awards

Belper in Bloom has been selected to represent the East Midlands in the Large Town Category in the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom UK Finals 2017.  

Belper was chosen for the town’s commitment to environmental responsibility, high levels of community participation and outstanding gardening achievements.  

The town will join 78 other Britain in Bloom finalists competing to be crowned one of the cleanest, greenest and most beautiful places in the UK.  

Between them, the huge number volunteers from the Belper Gardening Group, Transition Belper, the Open Gardens team, Belper Goes Green, Milford in Bloom, Friends of the River Gardens and many others who participate in Belper in Bloom, together with the staff at Belper Town Council and Amber Valley Borough Council, will be working to make Belper bloom. They will be planting thousands of bedding plants in the parks and planters in and around the town centre and Milford, putting up hundreds of hanging baskets, keeping Belper Railway Station and the grounds of Strutts looking beautiful and keeping the Parks, Wyver Lane and other Nature Reserves accessible and well maintained.  

The Belper in Bloom group will also be encouraging sustainability at the Belper Goes Green festival, planting up grey areas in the town, liaising with schools and youth groups to encourage an interest in gardening, opening their gardens as part of the Open Gardens event and creating a topiary garden at the Festival Gardens, Belper.

This incredible group effort will contribute to the millions of bulbs, seasonal plants, perennials, shrubs and trees being planted around the UK by over 2,500 Britain in Bloom and It’s Your Neighbourhood groups, transforming hard grey areas into green spaces that benefit both people and the environment.  

The theme this year is water, so look out for water themed planting in the Town.

In August, the Belper in Bloom group will lead RHS Britain in Bloom judges on a tour of Belper as they bid to win a top award. The winners will be announced at the Britain in Bloom awards ceremony in Llandudno, North Wales on 27 October.

Andrea Van Sittart, RHS Head of Community Outreach, reacted by saying: “Congratulations to Belper on reaching the UK Finals of this year’s RHS Britain in Bloom campaign. To represent their region on the UK stage is an incredible achievement and shows they are already at the top level of community gardening, going the extra mile to improve their local area and make it cleaner, greener and more beautiful for everyone.”

A number of special awards that recognise excellence in a particular area, be that protecting the local environment, getting young people involved in gardening, or overcoming adversity such as flooding or vandalism, will also be up for grabs.

Now in its 53rd year, Britain in Bloom has evolved into a UK-wide campaign that brings communities together while promoting the environmental and health and wellbeing benefits of gardening.  

Ann Pocklington, a member of Belper in Bloom, said: “Belper is proud to represent the East Midlands for the third time in the National awards. The town won the Large Town Category in 2012 and hopes to do really well again this year. The group is really excited about the entry and we hope that the enthusiasm that we feel is contagious and the town is alive with colour over the summer.”

For more information please contact:

Liz Page, Town Clerk, Belper Town Council, the Butts Belper on 01773 822116