On Wednesday, November 5, a group of volunteers attended the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Community Gardening North West in Bloom ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ awards at Toughsheet Community Stadium in Bolton.
Judges from North West in Bloom, a regional organisation that administers the RHS Britain in Bloom competition in Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, had visited Radcliffe earlier this year after the dedicated volunteers entered local gardens into the awards for the first time.
The gardens are ranked by ‘levels’, with five being ‘outstanding’, awarded to groups that go ‘above and beyond’ and one given to those who are ‘just starting out’.
The Radcliffe groups scooped an impressive nine accolades in total.
Volunteers from across Radcliffe were at the event in Bolton (Image: supplied)
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Barge Garden, Cosley Alley, Friends of Outwood Country Park, and Incredible Edible Radcliffe, all received Level 5 (Outstanding) awards, while Church Street West Community Garden, Milton Meadow, Mural Gardens, St. Johns Safe Haven Gardens, and Tiny Cosley Alley, picked up Level 4 (Thriving) awards.
Andrea Hulme, Incredible Edible Radcliffe’s facilitator, said: “We were immensely proud to receive the award from the RHS as part of the It’s Your Neighbourhood – it validated all the hard work, effort and many hours put in by all the volunteers and community that support the site.”
The event aims to celebrate ‘community pride, teamwork and the power of green spaces’.
Tracy Owen, secretary at Little Britain Anglers, said: “Our motto is ‘more than just a fishing club’, and entering NW in Bloom for the first time this year proves what can be achieved when a community comes together.”
Little Britain Anglers also looks after gardens in Bury.
Hinds Lane Greenway received a Level 4 (Thriving) award while the Springs Community Green picked up a Level 2 (Improving) accolade.
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Radcliffe First Councillor Carol Birchmore added: “We are so pleased to achieve an outstanding rating for the Barge Garden… there have been so many people working on it, gardening, painting and building the structures you see today.
“Residents and community organisations have donated plants. We planted loads of bulbs in the garden last year as part of an initiative to turn Radcliffe yellow with daffodils, and it is currently dressed for remembrance.
“We are so proud of what we have achieved, but we can always use more volunteers; it takes quite a bit of upkeep.”
Holly Nobel, from Friends of Outwood Country Park, added: “Thanks to all our amazing volunteers who made this possible – it just shows what great things can be achieved when we work together!
“We are especially pleased to that our new tranquillity gardens on the old Ringley Road station can be used be all to enjoy nature.”
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