Pembrokeshire has proved it’s blooming marvellous, with both TenbyWolfcastle selected as finalists in the 2010 Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Britain in Bloom Finals. and
The only other Welsh nomination is Colwyn Bay in North Wales.
“We’re very proud that two out of the three Welsh finalists are in Pembrokeshire,” said Councillor Peter Morgan, Cabinet Member for Communities and Partnerships.
“Both communities have worked exceptionally hard to get to this stage, and we wish them all the very best in the final stage of the competition.”
Tenby and Wolfcastle are among 67 cities, towns and villages from across the UK chosen to represent the very best in community horticulture.
Tenby, a finalist in the Coastal Resort category, has been a winner in Wales in Bloom 25 times, and was previously a finalist in Britain in Bloom in 1997.
This year, the town is in the Coastal Resort category, and is up against St Ives and Lytham amongst others.
Councillor Sue Lane, Mayor of Tenby and Chairman of Tenby in Bloom, said the nomination reflected all the hard work that goes on to keep Tenby looking at its best.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” she said. “We’ve worked so hard with Tenby Town Council and Pembrokeshire County Council, and this is really good news for the town.” She added: “We’re very pleased with the work that Pembrokeshire County Council puts in.”
Wolfcastle has been selected as finalists in the Small Village Category and are up against Stanghow in North Yorkshire. It’s the first time that Wolfcastle has been shortlisted for Britain in Bloom, having won Wales in Bloom five times in recent years.
The village has received full support in its bid from the star of ‘The Sound of Music’ and local girl Connie Fisher.
“We are very lucky to be selected as finalists in such a prestigious competition,” said the Rev. Geoffrey Eynon. “It’s a great honour.”
He said many different people and organisations work to keep the village looking at its best, including the school, community council, Pembrokeshire County Council, W.I., and local businesses.
Brian Maddocks, Head of Maintenance at Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “Our staff work very hard to keep all of Pembrokeshire’s communities looking clean, tidy and attractive, and the fact that Wolfcastle and Tenby have reached the finals of Britain in Bloom is great news.”
Britain in Bloom is one of the largest horticultural campaigns in Europe working year-round to create a cleaner and greener Britain through community action.
Stephanie Eynon, Community Horticulture Manager, RHS, 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 RHS Britain in Bloom 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 the 24th March with a mass planting exercise across the country, and close with the annual awards ceremony on the 29th September. RHS Judges will visit Tenby and Wolfcastle and all the other finalists 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.
