Gold rush for Rugby at Heart of England in Bloom Awards
Gold rush for Rugby at Heart of England in Bloom Awards
RUGBY struck gold for a seventh year in a row at the Heart of England in Bloom Awards.
16 September 2014
The Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Ramesh Srivastava, received the award on behalf of the borough during a prestigious ceremony at Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn on Thursday (September 11).
Poppies played a major role in Rugby's Bloom entry, with free poppy seeds distributed to schools, parish councils and community organisations to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War.
The council's Edible Gardening project also took centre stage, with communities encouraged to grow - and eat - vegetables and herbs in plots and borders.
Judges from Heart of England in Bloom toured the borough in July, and hailed the council's "philosophy of creative forward thinking" and commitment to working in partnership with communities to deliver innovative projects.
The judges also singled out Rugby's new Rainsbrook Cemetery and Crematorium for praise, describing it as "an outstanding modern facility that provides the space for peaceful reflection," while the floral displays on the borough's roundabouts were branded "vibrant and welcoming."
The borough won the gold award in the small city category, and Cllr Dr Mark Williams, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for sustainable environment, said he was delighted the town's entry had been rewarded with the contest's highest accolade for a seventh year in a row.
"Once again our entry focused on bringing communities together, and involved the hard work and dedication of the council's parks and open spaces team, businesses, schools, volunteers and community organisations," Cllr Williams added.
"It was a real community effort to make the borough a brighter, better place to live and showed the real sense of pride we have in Rugby."
Picture caption: (left) Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council's parks and grounds manager, and (right) the Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Ramesh Srivastava, receive the gold award from Heart of England in Bloom president, Les Goodman.
Poppies played a major role in Rugby's Bloom entry, with free poppy seeds distributed to schools, parish councils and community organisations to commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War.
The council's Edible Gardening project also took centre stage, with communities encouraged to grow - and eat - vegetables and herbs in plots and borders.
Judges from Heart of England in Bloom toured the borough in July, and hailed the council's "philosophy of creative forward thinking" and commitment to working in partnership with communities to deliver innovative projects.
The judges also singled out Rugby's new Rainsbrook Cemetery and Crematorium for praise, describing it as "an outstanding modern facility that provides the space for peaceful reflection," while the floral displays on the borough's roundabouts were branded "vibrant and welcoming."
The borough won the gold award in the small city category, and Cllr Dr Mark Williams, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for sustainable environment, said he was delighted the town's entry had been rewarded with the contest's highest accolade for a seventh year in a row.
"Once again our entry focused on bringing communities together, and involved the hard work and dedication of the council's parks and open spaces team, businesses, schools, volunteers and community organisations," Cllr Williams added.
"It was a real community effort to make the borough a brighter, better place to live and showed the real sense of pride we have in Rugby."
Picture caption: (left) Chris Worman, Rugby Borough Council's parks and grounds manager, and (right) the Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Ramesh Srivastava, receive the gold award from Heart of England in Bloom president, Les Goodman.