There aren’t many things left that we can all get behind. Good, uncontroversial fun is tricky to come by in an increasingly polarised world; but it hasn’t died altogether. In that vein, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) hosts an annual ‘Britain in Bloom’ flower contest to award the best achievements in community gardening over the previous year. Basically, a ‘prettiest flowers’ competition. What’s not to love?
This year, 52 local gardening groups across the nation made it into the final. They were all judged by experts on ‘the environment, community engagement and horticulture,’ and although they all had some memorable floral arrangements, only one could be the winner. In the end, the victory went to… Bath!
Although there are several categories, ranging from best work in a large city to small village, each with their own winners, Bath in Bloom took home the title of ‘overall winner’ as well as ‘best small city’. The judges were impressed by the group’s strong focus on the environment and on local engagement, as they worked alongside local schools to create bug hotels and even grow wheat.
One spokesperson for the RHS said that, ‘[Bath] were the first ever winners of the competition, 60 years ago, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to crown them champions once again in this special anniversary year… [they] showed not only outstanding horticultural displays but also great dedication to their community and the environment.’
The work of Bath in Bloom can be found across the city, but according to the RHS, highlights include the Parade Gardens and the Bath Women’s Institute Garden, both of which are available to the public, although you will have to pay £2.50 to get into the former, but that’s a small price to pay for award winning botanicals.
You can have a look at the full list of winners on the RHS’ website now, available here, or support the Bath champs firsthand here.
Getting (Time) Out and About
Trees aren’t the only thing to appreciate in the British countryside. Have you ever tried any of these campsites, or these stunning hikes? We’ve also got roundups of our favourite natural wonders that the UK has to offer, as well as some lovely places to go wild swimming.
Did you see that the price of pints could go down in pubs thanks to announcement.
Plus: The UK’s Tree of the Year has been crowned for 2024.
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