Britain in Bloom award for Islington's flowers - and our community spirit (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Britain in Bloom award for Islington's flowers - and our community spirit

October 2, 2009 3:19 PM

Bridget Fox visited the St. Luke's Centre Allotments with Bunhill's Liberal Democrat council team to congratulate the gardeners on their success.

Islington has won the London in Bloom competition for a second year running, and also won a prestigious silver gilt award in the national Britain in Bloom competition. The Liberal Democrat council was praised by the judges for "enhancing the environment beyond normal expectations."

Islington was the overall winner of London in Bloom, scooping ten separate awards:

Best overall London in Bloom Entry
Gold award in the category for similar boroughs
Silver gilt for Angel Town Centre
Improvement award for Gambier Estate
Merit award for Whitecross St. Peabody Estate
Improvement award for St. Luke's Centre
Merit for Newington Green Action Group
Silver Gilt for Spa Fields
1st place in 'Capital Growth' allotments competition for St. Luke's Centre
1st place in Floral Display Award category

Islington also won London in Bloom last year, so represented the whole of London and the South East in the national Britain in Bloom competition - winning the Silver Gilt Award. Islington was also the only large urban area given a nomination to the Royal Horticultural Society Community Award, in recognition of how all sectors of the community worked together.

The Britain in Bloom judges said:

"The vibrancy generated by the young, ethnically diverse and crowded population of Islington is reflected in the enthusiasm of the borough council and its officers.

"They have been extraordinarily successful in engaging with significant sectors of the community to build a strong, forward-looking policy to make Islington a better place to live.

"With a shortage of green space, the use of imaginative schemes has succeeded in enhancing the environment beyond normal expectations and shows what can be achieved in challenging circumstances."

Ruth Polling, the Liberal Democrat councillor responsible for the borough's parks, trees, and flowers, said:

"This is a huge achievement for all the winners, and I want to congratulate all the gardeners in the borough whose front gardens, window boxes, allotments, and community gardens contributed to our success together.

"This Liberal Democrat council has put so much effort into making our dense, urban home a better place to live. We've invested over £7million improving and expanding our parks, carrying out the biggest tree planting project in Islington in generations, and putting more flower displays along our streets than ever before. It's really nice to get recognition from the Royal Horticultural Society judges and other visitors - but what matters to us is that we've made the place better for local people and residents."