Gold Award & Category Winner

Heart of England In Bloom 2010

The annual Heart of England in Bloom campaign drew to a close with a presentation ceremony in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The Heart of England in Bloom awards form the regional section of the nationwide Britain in Bloom Campaign which is organised and run by the Royal Horticultural Society. Coventry’s entry this year was based around the theme of “local roots” aimed at encouraging participation throughout the city. Several of the regional entrants were celebrating victory, with the Coventry in Bloom team announced as the big winners receiving the Gold award for their work in the Large City category. A combined effort with the staff from CV One, English Landscapes gardeners, Whitefriars Housing and a whole host of volunteers, made the city’s efforts stand out from the crowd. The city’s colourful parks, greens and floral displays across the town centre were picked out for particular praise.

Judges comments:

We were met at English Landscape's new offices where we were given a short presentation and overview of Coventry in Bloom. We visited Sherbourne School where we were shown the hutches and planters that the disabled students had made in conjunction with pupils from Whoberley Hall Primary. From there we visited the Coventry Carers Association's latest allotment acquisition. This is an ongoing project and we look forward to seeing how the site develops over time. We were greeted at Allesley Park by the Chairman of the local Friend's of the Park, who demonstrated the Group's enthusiasm and commitment to the Park by highlighting the newly planted memorial garden full of English Rose varieties. At Greyfriars Green the flower beds, a mixture of herbaceous and annual bedding, were sensational especially the Cofa Tree design. We then went on to learn about the fascinating benefits of Coventry University's 'brown roof' (planted with dedum) and how it was contributing to various research projects. We then toured the city centre on foot to admire the renovated Lady Herbert's Garden and the floral displays including the celebratory Coventry Girl Guide flower design in the Trinity Bed. The tour finished at the recently redeveloped and enhanced Belgrave Plaza - Coventry's newest public open space.

Areas of achievement:

Coventry Business Park - Permanent planting
Handing baskets and barrier troughs
Greyfriars Green - bedding and sustainable planting schemes
Lady Herbert's Gardens
Trinity flower bed
Tree lined avenue in Kenilworth Road
Coventry University's 'brown roof' and recycling efforts
Social interaction and working partnership betweeen Whoberley Hall and Sherbourne Fields Primary schools
Coventry Carers Association allotment
Work with the Friends of Allesley Park Wall Garden Group
Strengthening of relationships with the local press and business'

Coventry was also handed the 'Horticultural Excellence award' in recognition of Greyfriars Green in the city centre.

Judges Comments:

Just a short walk away from the city centre brings you to the wonderful area of Greyfriars Green. As soon as you enter the Green the magnificent array of colours from the display of bedding plants is overwhelming. This year the bedding is made up of the usual annual bedding plants and other types not normally associated with annual bedding such as Rudbeckia and Grasses. The main attraction this year is the bed with the eye-catching design of the Cofa Tree, from which Coventry gets its name. Also within the Green there are areas of herbaceous planting to reduce the use of bedding, so saving on the expense of replanting every year. The whole area is planned and maintained to the highest standard and is a credit to the gardeners responsible for it.

Also, a special mention should be made to Helen Essex, a teacher at Sherbourne Fields School in Coundon who, due to her outstanding work at the school was awarded a Certificate of Merit.

Mark Nicholls, Head of Operations for CV One, said:

“We are all absolutely delighted to win the Gold Award for the Large City Category and especially the Horticultural Excellence category for Greyfriars Green. This award is testament to the enormous work and effort of our own staff alongside the gardeners from English Landscapes, team of volunteers and everybody that has supported us. In addition, thanks must go to Helen Essex who won the Certificate of Excellence for her work with Sherbourne School”