Judging day for Wilmslow in Bloom

The regional RHS judges came to Wilmslow to judge the town's entry on Monday, 4th July.

They were were giving a tour around the gardens at the United Reformed Church, Lindow Common, The Chapel Lane area, the Community Gardens at both the Temp and Oakenclough, the station and the rose gardens in the Memorial Gardens where the bed planted and maintained by Fulshaw WI was particularly admired.

Sue Worthington, Wilmslow In Bloom Chair observed "the team was dismayed when we learned that the judges would be here in Wilmslow on a Monday, the day after the Wilmslow Show. One of the key criteria of the judges is the amount of litter spread around and we were all very concerned that the after affects of the show would be a wide distribution of bottles and crisp packets.

"We decided to meet this challenge head on, and, after our introductions, the judges headed straight for the Carnival Fields to meet Angela McPake, the organiser of the Show, and Chris Evans, Chair of the Clean Team.

"Angela told the Judges that around 5,000 people had visited the show the previous day. She said that several volunteers had been out and about in the town on Sunday evening and had all but cleared any residual litter both from the Carnival Fields and from the access routes"

Litter proved to be the least of the problems facing the team as Monday, 4th July was a very windy day.

Ruth Menlove, outgoing Chair and Secretary of Wilmslow In Bloom commented that "the town put on its best face to welcome the RHS Judges – one of whom is the Chair of North West Britain In Bloom – and who had as yet never visited us. We can demonstrate such a variety of planting and planting schemes to enhance the appearance of our town and the Judges appeared both sympathetic and approving of the variety and quality of our skills.

"Both Judges offered helpful suggestions on follow up improvements to projects currently underway particularly about pruning"

The results of the Judges' deliberations will be announced in October.