Alnwick is Northumberland’s blooming best town – and that’s official!

In case you missed seeing this news while our website had technical issues…

Alnwick was declared the ‘Best Town’ by the the Northumbria In Bloom judges when they awarded Alnwick nine Gold Awards including ‘Best Town’ at this year’s award ceremony in Gateshead.

The judges said “Throughout the tour of Alnwick we were impressed with the horticultural achievement, from the many attractive private gardens to the work being done by the Special Awards entrants. Thought has been given to where extra areas of cultivation can be placed to enhance the Bloom entry, developing the entry year on year.”

“There is a good variety of planting styles in the many projects involved in Bloom, from the stunning carpet bedding display to the more relaxed style at The Pinfold and the Community Orchards. It is good to see a move towards more permanent planting and the town looked well-kept throughout”.

Alnwick Town Mayor, Councillor Geoff Watson said: “I’m bursting with pride on behalf of the town, what fantastic news. I really must commend everyone who pulled together to make this such a successful event for our town. From the Alnwick in Bloom volunteers who give their time tirelessly, to the Council’s small but hardworking team and all the residents that do their bit too – their sense of community pride is obvious.”

Sentiments echoed by Alnwick In Bloom Chair Liz Adams who added “Achieving awards like this, including our 12th consecutive Town Gold, is a real team effort which was duly recognised by the judges. So I’d like to say a big thank you to our In Bloom volunteers as well the people who work with us to ensure In Bloom goes well”.

Alnwick success’s continued with all eight ‘Specials’ achieving Gold Awards.
First to receive their Gold Awards, and repeating their Gold successes in 2022 were Swansfield Park School in the Schools Category, The John Bull in the Pub Category and The Cookie Jar which was also declared Best Hotel / Guest House and where judges commented: “The restrained planting of this professionally designed garden with its limited colour palette beautifully compliments this one-time convent. The plants were of very high quality and well maintained and the hard landscaping gave a very modern feel. The garden is a peaceful area for reflection as well as one for the enjoyment of guests. The window boxes at the front of the hotel continued the blue theme, bringing subdued colour into this conservation area”.

And more Gold Awards followed for Alnwick, with the Bullfield Community Orchard (Conservation Category), St. Paul’s Court, (Residential Community Category) and St. James’s Allotments (Allotments Category), all improving from their Silver Gilts in 2022.
There were also Gold awards for The Alnwick Garden in the Tourist or Visitor Attractions Category and George Turner of 35 Swansfield Park Road in the Private Garden Category.

Alnwick commuters will be delighted that the Best Bus/Metro/Railway Station category was won by The Friends of Alnmouth Railway Station. Judges said they are “Well organised and the very numerous large tubs lining the platforms are a welcome sight. These are filled with colourful planting with many perennials and herbs which have been chosen to be drought resistant and attractive to pollinators. Schoolchildren have been involved with the delightful murals and the painting of the bird boxes”.

Representatives from entrants across the region were at the event to receive their awards. Robert Germany, Chairman of Northumbria in Bloom said: “When people think of Northumbria in Bloom they often assume that it’s all about hanging baskets and the municipal flower displays on roundabouts. However the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. This means that ‘in bloom’ communities tackle everything from litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour through to conservation, biodiversity and improving horticultural standards, and that’s not to mention the positive impact on health, wellbeing, sense of place, community spirit and civic pride.Many of our groups are also using Bloom to help to mitigate some of the effects of climate change through planet friendly gardening. It is wonderful to see all the excellent work that communities are doing to protect and enhance their local environments. These awards are all about recognising and celebrating this work and all that our communities have collectively achieved in enhancing the overall environment of the North East in 2023”.

Awards in the RHS’s It’s Your Neighbourhood scheme, for community projects, were also given out, with Graham’s Yard achieving level 4 – Thriving and The Pottergate Centre achieving Level 5 – Outstanding.

Pictured: The Northumbria In Bloom Best Town award was presented to Alnwick in Bloom committee members Jenny MacDowell, Kathleen Bradford, Chair Liz Adams and Janet Pibworth (Alnwick Town Council & AiB Secretary) by ITV weatherman, and keen gardener Ross Hutchinson.