Town won't enter bloom until 2025

HENLEY will not enter the Britain in Bloom competition again until 2025 at the earliest.

Catherine Notaras, who chairs Henley in Bloom, says the committee needs time to properly prepare for the annual contest, having not taken part since 2019.

Before taking a break, the town had won seven golds in the Thames and Chilterns regional competition in eight years.

Ms Notaras, who became the first non-councillor to take on the role in May, is drawing up a plan for Henley’s next entry.

She said: “We are kind of starting again and the work we do now needs time to establish, so we are looking at a two-year plan. We will work to the criteria for the award, which will make it easier because then there is a structure and a timetable to work to.

“You can’t do everything all at once so it will be a case of having some small achievements and making incremental improvements, having agreed what the priorities will be.”

Ms Notaras, who lives in Elizabeth Road, said helping to combat climate change and the need to support biodiversity were high on her agenda.

“We have to adapt,” she said. “There will be an element of rethinking and training on how to do things, engaging with experts and working together.

“There will also be a certain amount of experimentation because we can’t keep doing the same things we have always done. We need to do what’s appropriate for today and in future.

“We need to improve areas for wildlife and be mindful of keeping them, protecting them and maintaining them. We are in a new era of gardening. It is exciting but there is also a challenge.”

Ms Notaras said that while the town’s green spaces were still being maintained, more effort was needed.

“It has not been as good as when we were winning medals,” she said.

“The town needs new planters that retain water and we need to look at how we get the water, from where and of what type. There also needs to be new compost and mulching.

“It’s not just a case of putting the plants in, it is making the most of the planting and of the flowerbeds, keeping them healthy and making the growing season last longer.

“It is about getting the right plants, the right compost and being able to keep it going and maintained with a good, strong team in place to deliver.

“That means working with the town council’s parks services team because we absolutely need them. There is a lot of work to do.”

She also wants to involve other community groups and take advice from experts such as Sally Rankin, of the Greener Henley Wildlife Group, and Professor Richard Fortey.

Ms Notaras said: “We need a Henley in Bloom website and we need to go out and get feedback, even though sometimes it might not be what we want to hear. There needs to be more conversations and interaction with residents about what they want to see. It is about working collaboratively because we also need people to help us.”

Ms Notaras also leads the Gardening Buddies volunteer group, which recently transformed the garden in West Street next to the fire station.

She said: “It used to be an edible garden but that didn’t quite work and we had a pernicious weed that needed to be taken out.

“We needed to regenerate it and make it bug- and bee-friendly so we are being mindful about what we are planting. The firefighters love coming out and watering the plants with their hoses and it’s brilliant that we are working together to maintain it.

“Neighbours came out to thank us for doing it. I want to see more schemes like that, please.”

Ms Notaras said the group would be redoing the Rotary beds in Mill Meadows next and would add perennial plants with a view to trying to extend the pollinating season and make the area more sustainable.

She said: “Henley is a fantastic town — we have the river, we have got great green spaces and we have got our rural areas as well as urban areas, verges and footpaths that all need to be maintained.

“What I would like to do is map these areas and work out how they can join up and enhance wildlife habitats and increase the biodiversity of these areas.”

Ms Notaras also wants to introduce “shady spots” where people can sit and relax.

She said: “In the past there has been debate over having seating areas because they might create litter but we do need shady spots and I see them being close to places where you can refill your water bottle.

“I think we need to have cross-party support on the council because Henley in Bloom covers all areas of the town, the community and recreation and amenities. We need to work together across the council because it also covers all areas.

“I want to use Bloom for the benefit of Henley residents and visitors to make the town more sustainable.”