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Cramlington is the blooming best!
Cramlington Town Council is delighted to announce that the town was declared the Best Overall Entry in this year’s Northumbria in Bloom competition.
Cramlington Town Mayor, Councillor Helen Morris said: “This is just fantastic – I was delighted to attend the awards ceremony when the result was announced – I’m bursting with pride on behalf of the town.”
“Of course it is a team effort – our Town Council Operations Team have done a superb job with their planting – Cramlington is a big town and we have a lot of floral displays to maintain – bedding plants, estate entrances and our increasing number of herbaceous planting schemes.”
“I also think a major factor in Cramlington’s success is the community involvement. Our residents really do care about their local environment and are prepared to get their hands dirty and help keep our town beautiful, green and clean.”
Judges commented: “Cramlington has the advantage of being surrounded by countryside and is also home to more large businesses than many other similar size towns. The Town Council has made the most of this by encouraging volunteer groups to utilise the natural resources by making large areas of woodland accessible, creating new woodland – most notably at the landform Northumberlandia – and there are plans in the pipeline for a new dementia garden which is going to be part of a larger park available to all. They have taken on board the ethos of sustainable planting and in most cases throughout the judging route, the level of horticulture was very good. There is plenty of colour and form as well as trees and shrubs being used very effectively. Lots of grass is left long between trees in the park for biodiversity and plenty of wildflowers have been grown to good effect. The judges were impressed by the planting of shrubs and perennials in blocks on roundabouts which are a very attractive, cohesive asset to the town”.
Robert Germany, Chairman of Northumbria in Bloom said: “When people think of Northumbria in Bloom they often assume that it’s all about hanging baskets and the municipal flower displays on roundabouts. However the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. This means that ‘in bloom’ communities tackle everything from litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour through to conservation, biodiversity and improving horticultural standards, and that’s not to mention the positive impact on health, wellbeing, sense of place, community spirit and civic pride. Many of our groups are also using Bloom to help to mitigate some of the effects of climate change through planet friendly gardening. It is wonderful to see all the excellent work that communities are doing to protect and enhance their local environments.
These Awards are all about recognising and celebrating this work and all that our communities have collectively achieved in enhancing the overall environment of the North East in 2023”.
Cramlington also won a Gold Award in the Large Town Category.
St. Nicholas Church, Cramlington was awarded a Silver Gilt in Best Religious Establishment category.
The Best Park award went to Cramlington’s Alexandra Park which is generally maintained by Northumberland County Council, with the Sensory Garden, new play area and Dog Park being created and tended by Cramlington Town Council.
Judges said: “Alexandra Park is a credit to the staff who maintain it. The Park is very clean and tidy and is a very pleasant space to walk through with numerous facilities to appeal to a wide range of people. The new play area and dog park are popular and well used as is the Bowling Green. All are maintained to a high standard. The sensory garden is lovely area with a very good selection of interesting plants to give year round interest and is a more peaceful space to relax in”.
John the Clerk, won a Silver Award in the best pub category.
Northumberlandia won a Gold Award in the Best Tourist or Visitor Attraction, or Country Estate category.
Cramlington Town Mayor Councillor Hellen Morris is seen with The Percy Boydell Award for Best Overall Entry and some of Cramlington’s Floral Displays.
