21 Nov 2023
Redbourn villagers are celebrating scooping three top awards in the annual Britain in Bloom competition.
The accolades were Gold in the Best Small Town category, a Certificate of Achievement in the Young People’s category for St Luke’s School, and a Community Champion award for Redbourn in Bloom’s Pat Schofield.
Run entirely by volunteers, Redbourn in Bloom was founded in 1999 as part of the village’s Millennium celebrations, and since then has held biennial Open Gardens Weekends and entered the annual Anglia in Bloom Campaign. In 2002 they took on the organising of the Redbourn Horticultural Show, and in 2006 became the Redbourn in Bloom Horticultural Society. This event has now become the Grand Autumn Show.
They first entered the regional Anglia in Bloom Competition in 2000, and have been entering almost every year ever since, winning gold several times, including last year when they received both Gold and Best Small Town.
As a result, Anglia in Bloom put Redbourn forward into the finals of Britain in Bloom 2023, the first time they had been entered into the national competition.
Pat said: “We were absolutely delighted to win not only Gold and Best Small Town in Anglia again, but the same in Britain in Bloom!
“I think the factors that helped us win included the colourful and well-maintained planters and hanging baskets throughout the High Street area, the attractive frontages of many of the residential and business properties around the village, the absence of weeds, litter and graffiti and well cared-for street furniture.
“There’s also great community involvement, with many groups and individual volunteers involved in making Redbourn a charming and attractive place in which to work, live and visit, including close working partnerships with the parish council, schools and other village organisations.”
The judges said Redbourn is “embracing its past but with its eyes firmly on the future…. Redbourn in Bloom is facing the challenges of a changing climate coupled with an aging demographic head-on” and is aiming to “create an environment for the children, adults and wildlife of our village which is fit for the future”, with examples including more sustainable planting, the use of peat-free compost, and working closely with the newly-formed Wild About Redbourn.
Pat said the awards mean everything to villagers: “The support we receive from local residents, and the appreciative comments we receive in the village and on local social media are evidence of how much our efforts and our recent win are valued. One post on Redbourn Community Network sums it up: ‘Congratulations and many thanks in making our village look so amazing. You bring many a smile to many people who live in the village and also to visitors’.”
Despite having been involved with Redbourn in Bloom since its inception, she was surprised to be singled out for individual praise: “I was very surprised and honoured to receive a trophy as one of 13 Community Champions from Britain in Bloom. I really enjoy our “In Bloom” activities in the village, but it is truly a team effort, and these awards make all our hard work worthwhile.”
