A recipe for community gardening success

Roberttown in Bloom, West Yorkshire, formed as a community gardening group in 2019. In 2024, their efforts resulted in a Gold Award in the Large Village category as first-time finalists in the Britain in Bloom UK Finals. A thriving hub of community activity, their efforts include promoting sustainability and creating inclusive spaces.

More members, more joy

Arts and crafts displays celebrate the community effort in Roberttown

The group’s Thursday morning gardening and coffee club makes gardening more accessible for people who prefer lighter tasks or have less gardening experience. After an hour of gardening, participants head to the church coffee morning to relax and socialise. This initiative has attracted people from all backgrounds, including those seeking exercise, companionship or mental health benefits.

Nature trail for non-verbal children

Items are restored and repurposed for planting to add colour to the village

One of their other standout projects is a wheelchair-accessible bug hotel, created with the local Rainbows Girlguiding group (aged between four and seven years old). Lucy also received a specially designed planter to support her in growing sensory plants, herbs and strawberries.

To help more local people access nature, in the Woodland Stumpery Garden, they are improving pathways with

Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings.

A native plant is one that originated or arrived naturally in a particular place without human involvement. In the British Isles, native plants are those that were here during the last ice age or have arrived unaided since.

native

Joining up the generations

Bat boxes have been placed around the village

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

compost

To inspire a deeper understanding of environmental care, they introduced children to books like It’s Up to Us by Christopher Lloyd (based on King Charles III’s Terra Carta), that highlights how we can create an action plan for the future to protect nature. These educational efforts are paired with litter-picking campaigns, where children help members of Roberttown in Bloom clean up the village.

As well as contacting local schools, the group has transformed the garden of the local care home. A former sunroom now serves as a greenhouse for growing plants, reducing costs and providing a functional space. They also established an allotment, where vegetables are grown for care home residents and local charities.
Wheelchair-accessible planters allow residents with mobility challenges to participate in gardening, which has brought enjoyment and activity to their days. A disused animal trough, repurposed as a planter, now blooms with colourful displays for the residents and visitors to enjoy.

Looking ahead

Roberttown in Bloom continues to balance sustainability, community engagement and inclusivity. Their projects make the village greener, more welcoming and easier for everyone to enjoy. By involving schools, care homes and residents, the group is creating spaces that benefit the whole community, and their work stands as an example of how small changes can make a big impact.