Seventh heaven for town after winning Bloom gold

THE chairwoman of Goring in Bloom says she and her volunteers won’t be resting on their laurels after picking up another gold award in Britain in Bloom.

The town was honoured in the Thames and Chilterns regional awards of the Royal Horticultural Society competition for the seventh time in eight years.

Stephanie Bridle attended the awards ceremony at the Oakwood Centre in Woodley with her husband Ron, committee secretary Janet Hurst and volunteer Allan Davey.

The event was the first to take place since the coronavirus pandemic and began with a standing ovation for the Goring group in recognition of them winning the best small town title in Britain in 2019.

The Withymead Nature Reserve, which is between Goring and South Stoke and was a stop on the judges’ tour in July, won the regional award for “conservation and wildlife”.

Mrs Bridle, who lives in Cleeve Road, said: “The awards ceremony was the first to take place in three years and we were feeling more than a little apprehensive.

“Just like those halcyon pre-pandemic days, competitors, judges and dignitaries had gathered from all over Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire and were eager to catch up and share the highs and lows of community gardening and those difficult environmental challenges.

“To the surprise and delight of the Goring contingent, chairman Ted Smith began the presentation by leading an ovation in honour of our success in 2019, winning the best small town award in the UK.

“It has been many years since the Thames and Chilterns in Bloom region has had a national winner and it seems that we have now become a small feather in its corporate cap.

“We were then delighted and very relieved to accept our seventh award in eight years, a record which would never have been possible without the support of the hardworking enthusiastic bloom team of all ages and other loyal supporters who have been with us throughout this incredible and joyful journey.”

The judges described Goring as having a “particularly impressive treescape” that had been “further enhanced” by the volunteers. They said: “It is a great example of a community working together for the benefit of the residents and those who work in the town, while recognising the importance of tourists and other visitors.

“There is a strong focus on sustainability throughout, with a good balance between permanent and seasonal planting and a particular fondness for sunflowers.

“An impressive entry which is a real credit to all those involved.”

The three pillars of the awards are horticulture, environment and community and the judges noted the quality, design and variety of the floral displays, particularly at Masooms restaurant and the Arcade, which were “superb”.

Mrs Bridle said: “The judges mentioned we have majored on sunflowers this year and we do like sunflowers but with Ukrainians in the village we decided to do more of that as it’s their national flower.   They always like the floral containers, particularly at the station.

“We have people who travel from Oxford just to sit at the station in the garden and this year we have installed our second water tank to harvest water from the roof.

“The whole place is pretty spiffing. Our public toilets are to die for and outside we have beautiful flowers arranged.”

Mrs Bridle said Goring in Bloom was praised for the way it engages businesses, individuals and groups and it received “quite a lot of spontaneous donations”.

A resident rebuilding a wall at the end of his garden had offered to help create a flower bed on the other side of it.

Mrs Bridle said the group had more plans to keep the village looking good. She said: “We have started planting the car park in the centre of the village and we have also got plans for another area but have got to get permission from the landowner first. We are constantly looking at improving.

“We know what we do gives pleasure to the villagers because they tell us. One person on the station while I was waiting to catch a train said what we have done for the village is quite amazing and if you took that away Goring would be a completely different village.”

The Goring group accepted an award on behalf of the wardens and trustees of Withymead.

The judges said visiting the
13-acre nature reserve, which is on the banks of the River Thames, was a highlight and described it as “unusual and beautifully managed”.

Mrs Bridle said: “We always take the judges to Withymead because it is a wonderful place to go and we’re thrilled it won.

“The people down there work hard on the conservation. We will be having a party and can hopefully present them with their award.”

Meanwhile, Goring lock-keeper Andrew Arkell was praised for his work in continuing to transform the flower beds at the lock.

There was also praise for Terry and Karin Walker for caring for the Cleeve Road and Glebe Ride corner.

Goring in Bloom was also praised for its focus on sustainability, including the introduction of innovative watering systems at the station in co-operation with Great Western Railway.