Britain in Bloom finalists announced
26 January 2010
More than 60 cities, towns and villages across the UK who entered the RHS Britain in Bloom awards 2010 have been named as finalists.
The 66 competitors have been chosen from hundreds of entrants to represent the best in community horticulture and will soon start to prepare for the finals which are judged in July and August.
From urban communities to coastal towns, large cities and the smallest of hamlets, there are 13 competition categories to represent groups throughout the UK. They will be striving to demonstrate ingenuity in horticulture, environmental responsibility and community participation.
Stephanie Eynon, RHS Community Horticulture Manager, said, "Britain in Bloom was originally started in 1964 by the tourist board as a way of marketing the country and so the emphasis was on making towns and villages look as attractive as possible through the inclusion of hanging baskets, bedding plants and floral displays.
"Britain in Bloom has come a long way since then. The RHS took over the competition in 2002 and since then we have continued the development of the campaign to place increasing emphasis on involving the community and caring for the environment.
"Today we see the competition as a genuinely relevant and integrated initiative, enabling people to join together to improve their local communities through a range of long-term, sustainable and locally defined projects. Not only does Britain in Bloom improve people’s sense of civic pride but it is also hugely beneficial to the environment."
The finalists’ ‘Bloom’ year will officially launch on 24 March followed by a mass planting exercise across the country on 27 and 28 March. The year will close with the annual awards ceremony on 29 September. RHS judges will visit each community throughout two weeks in August to appraise the entries and to prepare expert advice to help each community improve on their efforts for future years.
Download a list of 2010 finalists (27KB pdf)
Find out about the Britain in Bloom campaign