Today – Tuesday 8 July – is crunch time for Marlborough’s ‘South West in Bloom’ challenge. Following yesterday’s Community Clean-Up the town is looking verdant, elegant and ready for its floral judgement day
Judges Andy Cole and Jan Pagano from the Royal Horticultural Society arrived this morning to preside over the town’s entry.
The Mayor, Councillor Marian Hannaford-Dobson and the rest of the Marlborough in Bloom committee welcomed the judges at the Town Hall before they set off on a tour around the town’s displays accompanied by Alison Galvin-Wright, the MiB committee chair and the Town’s Estates Manager, Richard Beale.
To a carefully timed schedule, the judges met volunteers from community groups and organisations who have been working on various projects to help improve the town.
These included volunteers working on the magnificent 17th Century garden at the Merchants House, Action for the River Kennet and their environmental work at Stonebridge Meadow, allotmenteers at Elcot Lane, local residents at Marlborough Waterfront and a representative from Marlborough Community Orchard who proudly showed the Diamond Jubilee Plantation at The Common.
The judges also visited both cemeteries, Marlborough College and popped in to look at the work of green fingered pupils at Preshute school. A very comprehensive tour also included a stroll through Priory Gardens and Coopers Meadow as well as a trip down the High Street, bedecked with more floral displays than ever seen before.
Chair, Alison Galvin-Wright, said: “Everyone has worked so hard in the last few weeks to make sure that we show the judges that we have a community working together and proud of Marlborough. It’s our first attempt and a really good effort. The judges are bound to be impressed by the work of our various voluntary groups.”
Town Mayor, Councillor Marian Hannaford–Dobson who has been actively involved in the campaign said: “Volunteers, the Town Council’s Grounds Team, Wiltshire Council, Aster Housing and more have all played a part in bringing this together. I would particularly like to thank businesses and retailers in and around the High Street who have clearly made real efforts with splendid floral displays and hanging baskets.”
When will the results be announced? Marlborough will have to wait until 18 September to find out whether all the efforts have delivered a successful outcome. But in the meantime, all the residents and visitors to the town can take pleasure from the legacy of floral enhancements that the quest for success in the South West Towns in Bloom has yielded.
