Sweet smell of success!
Lancashire ‘village of flowers’ bags top ‘Bloom’ award
Residents of a Lancashire village are overjoyed at scooping top prize at this year’s Britain in Bloom awards. The rural community of Elswick, near Blackpool on the Fylde plain, was awarded the Champion of Champions award in the RHS-managed annual competition.
Thehe title recognises the former agricultural village of just over 1,000 residents as one of the cleanest, greenest and most beautiful places in Britain. The close-knit community battled against Aberdeen, Harrogate, Oldham, Hillsborough in Northern Ireland, Portishead, Somerset and St Peter Port, Guernsey, to scoop the prestigious award. This year, 77 other communities across the UK were shortlisted for the event. Judges were wowed by the high impact and detail of Elswick’s floral displays located everywhere, from front gardens to business premises. A village team of 50 volunteers created a community orchard, wildflower meadow and replanted 2,000 crocus, 500 tulips and more than 1,000 bluebells.
“After texting the result the team thought it was ‘fake news’, and checked online to see if it was true!” said Elswick’s coordinator Paul Hayhurst.
“More than 20 years ago the village experienced vandalism and graffiti, but the community came together and became involved with Britain in Bloom. Now we’ve taken on the best and won and it’s something anyone, anywhere, can do.”
For more details about winners, visit www.rhs. org.uk/communities.