September 22, 2014 12.24 pm This story is over 126 months old

Double awards for blooming Bracebridge Heath

Blooming brilliant: Villagers near Lincoln have been ‘growing for gold’, and are congratulating each other after their long-nurtured community blooms came out top of the class after judgement.
Villagers from Bracebridge Heath worked together to bring golden blooms to the area.

Villagers near Lincoln have been ‘growing for gold’, and are congratulating each other after their long-nurtured community blooms came out top of the class after judgement.

The village of Bracebridge Heath has been successful in two community planting and decoration competitions in one week.

Villagers won a silver award and a special judges award for their entry into the East Midlands in Bloom competition, after receiving bronze in their debut last year.

Spirits were high after judges commented that they were impressed with the progress made in the last year as well as the sense of fun.

The group involved in interpreting the Growing for Gold for Pollinators theme was made up of all ages.

As part of the project, visitors to the village were met with a colourful knitted bus shelter, a ‘golden syrup tree’ complete with lion and bees and St John’s Church grounds were transformed with giant sunflowers made of recycled materials.

Following their first success, the village was named runners-up in the Campaign to Protect Rural England (SPRE) Lincolnshire Best Kept Village competition.

Neighbouring village Branston were named as the winners in the category.

Chairman of Bracebridge Heath Parish Council, John Kilcoyne, said: “This is an absolutely fantastic result for us. We have entered this competition regularly for many years, but very often we are eliminated at the end of round one.

“To have made the final is an achievement in itself, as it involves three separate sets of judges arriving unannounced to inspect.

“To be successful in this competition means that your village has to be seen to stay clean, tidy and looked after for the whole of the summer months.

“This is a real community effort. Our Bloom team has made a huge difference to the village with planting and decoration, the Events Group carries out monthly tidy-up activities, the Parish Council organises an annual litter pick and many unsung members of the village help out by keeping the areas near where they live clean.

“Colin, our handyman, does a wonderful job by keeping an eye on the whole village and by keeping it spotless throughout the whole year.”

The next event hosted by the village will be the third annual Scarecrow Trail on September 27.

The theme for the trail this year os nursery rhymes.