Best ever Bloom awards

Green-fingered Mancunians are celebrating their biggest ever scoop of North West in Bloom awards.

At ceremonies held at the Town Hall in Manchester on Thursday and Friday last week, city gardeners came away with an impressive 34 awards. Yet only three years ago, the grand total of prizes awarded in Manchester was three.

Mel Kirby, Environmental Awareness Manager for Manchester City Council, has been involved in the competition since the start. "This is a really fantastic result. The enthusiasm for the competition seems to be infectious, with more people hearing about it and wanting to be involved as the years go on. The entries brighten communities, get people working together and there's a huge sense of achievement at the end."

Councillor Eddy Newman, Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, said: "The success is richly deserved and properly reflects the amazing effort, energy and care which goes into producing entries of such high quality. I am particularly struck by the pride that people take in improving the local environment for everyone's benefit and the pleasure the whole community can take from the success."

North West in Bloom - organised by the Royal Horticultural Society - started in 1963 has grown into the largest horticultural campaign in Europe. Every year, hundreds of communities are involved, from tiny rural villages to the largest cities, all bringing a great deal of horticultural skill and huge enthusiasm to one common aim: to regenerate local environments.

Media contact:

Rebecca Kennedy, tel 0161 234 3332