Bath in Bloom Newsletter 2008
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Bath in Bloom Newsletter in pdf format.
As usual we have some great events lined up for the coming
season starting off with
Bath Spring Flower Show, 3rd, 4th 5th May. Now in
its 22nd year, and held in the setting of the beautiful and
historic
Royal Victoria Park, it’s a show for all the family, and since
it’s mostly under cover, it can be enjoyed whatever the
weather.
For gardeners it’s a wonderful opportunity to stock up the
garden from a huge range of plants of all kinds, exhibited by top
nurseries from all over the country, along with a good selection of
garden sundries, and furniture too. In the Main Marquee there
are gardening lectures and the Bath and North East Somerset Parks
Section will be staging another of their magnificent displays, this
year commemorating the centenary of the 1908 Smallholdings and
Allotments Act, when all local authorities had to start providing
public allotments – they’ve come a long way since then and are
nowadays in great demand.
Even non-gardeners will enjoy the feast of colour in the Main
Floral Marquee and the superb artistry of the displays exhibited by
members of Floral Art clubs from all over the region. There
are crafts and gift exhibitors too, the fascinating and ever
popular bee-keeping exhibition, food and drink to buy in the
British Food and Farming Marquee, along with young animals and
other activities from the Bath City Farm, which the children will
love. And talking of children, they’ll have a marvellous time
in the Family Activity Tent, while the under fives can be safely
left, after registering, in the crèche – all run by the Bath Area
Play Project.
In the Competitions Tent there is some wonderful photography,
art and children’s exhibits, along with superb craftwork by ladies
from Women’s Institutes and Townswomen’s Guilds from all over the
region. In the same tent there is a well-stocked Avon Country
Market (formerly the WI Market), and daily craft
demonstrations. Out in the arena, bands and dancers will
entertain and food and drink is available in the Refreshment
Tent.
The Show is open from 10.00am to 6.00pm on Saturday 3 May,
Sunday 4 May and B/H Monday 5 May. Adults £7.50,
O.A.P.’s/concessions/unaccompanied children £5.00.
Accompanied children under 16 free. Tickets available on the
gate. Telephone 01225 394041 www.bathnes.gov.uk/bathspring
flowershow.
Other events this year include a talk by Gardeners World
presenter Carol Klein, arranged by Bath & North East
Somerset Allotment Association as part of their centenary
celebrations. Also an evening with Derry Watkins at the
Special Plants Nursery and a free guided walk in the grounds of the
American Museum at Claverton Manor—all included in Bath’s Floral
Events Leaflet for 2008, available by telephoning B&NES Parks
and Green Spaces Section on 01225 396386.
Our programme of
Band Concerts starts on Bank Holiday Monday 5th May at 3.00pm
when ‘Blue Moon’ will be playing in Parade Gardens. Full
programme available from Parade Gardens kiosk, www.bathnes.gov.uk
or by telephoning 01225 396386.
After a gap of almost 66 years the magnificent cast iron gates
to
Royal Victoria Park are back, thanks to a Heritage Lottery
grant organised by the Council. The gates disappeared in
October 1942, part of a national drive for iron and steel when the
country was losing shipping at an alarming rate and desperately
short of raw materials. The gates could have been excluded
from the cull as works of artistic merit, but six months after Bath
blitz local feelings were still running high, and it was decided to
donate them along with all railings around the park.
In every detail the gates are as near identical to the originals
as is possible—the result of lengthy detective work and research
that involved lots of old photographs, scratch marks on stones, and
a hunt for designs similar to the originals. The Chairman of
Bath & North East Somerset Cllr. Ian Dewey officially opened
the gates on Thursday 3 April.
A Message from Barry Cruse—Chairman of the Bath in Bloom
Committee:-
Another year and yet again the weather seems determined to make
life difficult for us gardeners. It’s just a few days to
Easter as I write this article for the Newsletter and over the last
few weeks we have had really sharp frosts and very high
winds. It’s meant that I have had to repair fencing and
replace broken glass in my greenhouse before I can even think about
sowing my bedding seeds, but I’m sure I needn’t worry.
Although I will be sowing later than usual nature seems to have a
way of caching up - I hope!
Last year I said I would try and do my bit for the environment
by not using moss in my hanging baskets. I used wicker
baskets for the first time and planted Surfinia and Bacopa around
the edge then worked towards the centre with Petunias, ivy leaf
Geraniums, Impatiens and Lobelia and finishing with a non-stop
Begonia in the middle. The result was a basket that my
friends admired but to me it didn’t look like a ‘proper’ basket
planted from top to bottom, but I guess I will have to get used to
doing my baskets this way.
This year’s
Bath in Bloom competition promises to be both different and
interesting, we have merged many of the categories to try and make
it easier for you to choose the one that is right for you.
The Schools’ category in particular has been changed to try and
encourage entrants to look beyond flowers and include recycling,
biodiversity, vegetables and much more. I think children
these days are really interested in all things green and just love
getting their hands dirty, just as I did when I was a child circa
BC (before computers). I hope you agree when you see the new
entry form that it does simplify your entry but if you have any
problems don’t hesitate to contact me.
The Bath in Bloom competition plays a very important part in our
Britain in
Bloom entry, every year we are given a theme for the
Royal Horticultural
Society sponsored competition and this year the theme
is “Local Roots”. The criteria says we must “celebrate the
local and cultural history of our area through bloom displays
and activities” this means encouraging local and diverse
communities such as socially excluded groups and ethnic
minorities to participate in the Bath in Bloom competition, or
organize events that celebrate their different cultures with
plants. For more information please contact me, I think
this theme demonstrates just how much the Britain in Bloom
competition has progressed over the years.
As this newsletter goes to press our sponsors are “Rotork” and
“Hays Specialist Recruitment”, my thanks to you both for your
generosity.
Good luck everyone and thank you for helping to make Bath and
North East Somerset a better place to live, whether its with floral
displays, growing your own vegetables or recycling.
Barry Cruse—Tel. 01225 310095
This year we have added a Bath in Bloom page to the
council’s web
site
www.bathnes.gov.uk/bathinbloom. It includes all you need
to know about our competition including a downloadable entry form
and judging criteria along with photos of some of last year’s
entrants which were kindly supplied by Bath Chronicle.
If you do not have access to the internet and can’t get a
friend to print the information out for you don’t worry. Just
ring Lin on 01225 396386 and she will be happy to put an entry form
in the post to you.
New for 2008—’Town or Village not entered in South West in Bloom
competition’. This is a new category open to all towns and
villages within Bath & North East Somerset not already taking
part in the South West in Bloom Competition. A chance for
private individuals, businesses and community groups to all work
together to make the very best of your own Town or Village.
The judges will be looking for floral displays, permanent
landscaping, conservation and re-cycling, cleanliness and public
awareness through the promotion of your own ‘in bloom’
activities.
This new category can be entered in addition to one other
category, so you won’t miss out on the chance to win a prize in
your own right.
