York's hopes for Britain In Bloom

A HEAVY, heady scent hangs in the early summer air in Tower Street as the sun backlights new floral displays which Liz Levett hopes will help to win York a gold medal. And this week hundreds more are being planted across the city now the threat of frost has gone.

The city is readying itself for Yorkshire In Bloom, a competition in which York has won four silver gilt certificates over the past four years. This year, Liz is not only looking to go one better, there are also the finals to think about.

Because on the back of success in the Yorkshires, York has been chosen to represent the region in the city category and this summer will go head to head with Bury, Stockton, Wrexham and Kingston-Upon-Thames.

It’s a giddy rise, considering York stopped entering the competition a long while ago. That is, until a new director arrived at City of York Council.

“He came from an authority that still entered the competition,” says Liz. “He said there is so much going on in York that we need to bring it all together and show people this is a great place to live, work and visit.”

York was back, but to get the idea off the ground it needed a co-ordinator, and Liz landed the job.

The partnership includes individual volunteers, representatives from the private sector and educational establishments. Liz says their aim was, and still is, to make York a clean, safe, green and healthy city.

And it worked. At the first time of asking, the city won silver gilt.

Now, it seems, everyone wants to be involved, from Treasurer’s House to the Friends of Acomb Green. Then there is Fishergate in bloom, Fulford in bloom and in a couple of weeks all the city’s roundabouts in bloom too.

But the judges will be just as interested in our back yards, such as the hidden gems on St Saviourgate, and if you’re not blessed with eight green fingers and a couple of emerald thumbs, take heart; a single pot or window box will play as much a part in going for gold as the Dean’s manicured garden.

“We are proud of our city and care about the way it looks,” says Liz. “The competition may have started out as a floral event, but it’s grown. These days, the awards are not just about making somewhere like York look pretty; it’s about loving where you live.”

Obviously, the way the city looks is important, not only for those of us who live here but the thousands of visitors.

“The message of ‘in Bloom’ is about people being proud of their own neighbourhood, more than it being all about floral displays. Britain In Bloom is an ideal showcase for us, it gives recognition of everything we are doing in York.”

To reflect the shift in emphasis, the awards are now based on horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility – including conservation and biodiversity – and community participation.

A good example of the latter is Low Moor Kids Allotment, where Sam, Hayley, Lauren and Ollie are beavering away at their own little veg patches.

The judges will be coming here to see for themselves an inspired piece of homespun industry and Lauren says they only need to see her plot to award York the gold medal.

“This place is very important; it’s a fantastic site and what they do here is brilliant,” says Liz. “It demonstrates community commitment throughout the city and the links between young people, older people and the schools. The children are so enthusiastic, they go back home and encourage their parents to take up healthy eating.

“Now the allotment is part of the healthy schools initiative and has links with Brunswick Organic Nursery, it’s all spreading out now.”

All this on the back of what used to be a flower competition.

Perhaps the community participation category shows how far reaching Yorkshire In Bloom has become. Rather than awarding gold to the most flower-bedecked oasis, judges are also looking for co-operation between groups to address sustainability, recycling and energy conservation.

And that pretty much sums up how to win gold today. The competition is about lasting improvements to the environment and community pride through growing.

Certainly that’s a mantra of the Royal Horticultural Society, whose criteria are used by the judges. They will be looking for that spirit and a civic pride which promotes responsibility for planting, street cleanliness and good husbandry.

Of course, winning gold would bring more benefits to York than just a medal. Coming top is good for the economy because word gets out and that means more tourists.

“For the regional competition there are 26 entries and it was always our aim for people to take over and give the competition its own impetus. The committee got the sponsorship for the baskets and roundabouts, but this is very much a whole city entry.”

The Yorkshire In Bloom judges will be here in July. They will drive out of the city to view community displays and projects such as Low Moor allotments, before walking from Museum Gardens to St Helen’s Square via the Dean’s Garden – where the new Minster Rose is in bloom – Treasurer’s House, St William’s College and Stonegate.

The whole tour will take about three-and-a-half hours and conclude at the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor will hold a reception for many of the volunteers who have helped show York in its best light.

The results will be announced later in the year.

By then, if the heady scent hanging in the early summer air in Tower Street is anything to go by, Liz Levett and her team of volunteers will have a gold medal to add to their clutch of silver gilts.

And, with any luck, the Britain In Bloom judges, who are due on August 4, will see sense by awarding York the richly deserved accolade of the country’s most attractive city.

• Background...

• YORKSHIRE In Bloom was developed to help improve and enhance villages, towns and cities throughout Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

Over the years, organisers have shifted their emphasis to environmental factors such as conservation, recycling and sustainable planting. To keep abreast of these changes the competition has evolved to become a year-round campaign that encourages people to take a greater responsibility for their environments.

The Yorkshire In Bloom competition is assessed by Yorkshire judges using criteria developed by the Royal Horticultural Society. Marks are awarded to standards of gold, silver gilt, silver and bronze.

The awards are announced at an annual ceremony in September. Five of the best are then chosen to represent Yorkshire in the RHS national finals the following year.

• THE Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain In Bloom has been going for some 40 years and is the largest horticultural campaign in Europe. Each year, it involves more people, groups and organisations.

The villages and towns in the region are judged in spring and summer.

The large towns and cities in the region are judged in summer, along with the special categories, which include public and private places, commercial premises, new housing developments, youth environmental projects and further education establishments.

There are approximately 100 entries in the village to city categories and many more in the neighbourhood category.