The judges made their visit in July, and clearly enjoyed their tour of Halesworth. “What a lovely town, full of lovely people and lovely places, what an ideal place to live. What a joy, it was so nice to see all the effort that the Halesworth in Bloom group had done in such a short time, the enthusiasm of all concerned was commendable,” they said in their report.

Their visit to the Edgar Sewter Primary School was a highlight of the day: “Such a lovely atmosphere at this school, the teachers, helpers and especially the children, were a joy to meet. The idea of growing corn and vegetables and grinding the corn by pedal power and baking pizzas for all in their home made and absolutely delightful pizza oven is brilliant. Well done to all.”

The judges were impressed by many aspects of the town. They described Halesworth’s fishing lakes, as a “superb open space for the whole community. The planting around the lakes, in particular, the rare trees collection, is a great project and the idea of a significant tree register, a very clever concept.” As for Millenium Green and Town Park, they are “wonderful open spaces with a lovely atmosphere and some great friends, such as Richard Woolnough.”

In The Thoroughfare they noted “many lovely shops and everybody trying to do their bit to help. The displays by most of the shopkeepers were lovely.” Regarding the Hooker Memorial Garden, they considered it a “great idea to have a garden to commemorate someone who lived in Halesworth” and agreed that the plants already sourced are making an impressive collection.

The judges commended the Housebound Project: “It shows just what a community you have and the thought of an eight year old taking gifts to a 108 year old fills the heart and mind with pride.”

In terms of community participation in the bid, the judges commented: “On every level, Halesworth excels. From the little lad on his bike grinding the corn, through various schools and even the U3A, who should really be letting their minds take a rest after many years of hard work, but instead are determined to design a state of the art watering system.”

Looking ahead to 2014, the judges’ advice was simple and straightforward: “Limit new projects to keep the standards really high.” They also suggested standardising the planters within The Thoroughfare and possibly in other areas around the town, and trying to work to a colour scheme.

They ended their report “Keep doing what you’re doing so well.”

More information about Halesworth in Bloom at www.halesworthinbloom.com. Contact Tamsyn Imison on 01986 873354 or send e-mails to [email protected]

 

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