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10th September 2013 - Anglia in Bloom Awards Ceremony
Halesworth makes a significant impact in its first year of participation!
Bearing in mind that new entrants are excluded from some of the possible awards in the first year of their participation, we did extremely well.
At the awards ceremony held in St Alban's , Halesworth received a Silver Gilt award for its overall achievement,
and in addition, Halesworth's submission received the following category awards:
* BEST NEW ENTRANT: WINNER
* UNDER TWELVES HORTICULTURE: OUTRIGHT WINNER (Edgar Sewter School)
* THE WISSETT FISHING LAKES AND ENVIRONS & THE THOROUGHFARE WERE BOTH NOMINATED FOR SPECIAL CERTIFICATES OF MERIT.
Said Tamsyn Imison, Halesworth in Bloom's leader, "We are thrilled to have made such a good impression in the first year of our participation, and are determined to build on this next year: let's go for gold!"
OCTOBER 2013: below is the Anglia in Bloom judges' report on their findings.
ANGLIA IN BLOOM: JUDGES' REPORT 2013
Entrant - HALESWORTH Category - Small Town Award - Mid Silver Gilt
Why have you been hiding, Halesworth? what a lovely town, full of lovely people and lovely places, what an ideal place to live. On the day of judging the weather was lovely and the judges were shown around a most enjoyable route, part of this in a wonderful car. 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.
The judges were particularly impressed by the following:-
1. The Halesworth fishing lake. This area provides a superb open space for the whole community. Sensibly laid out with good parking, easy access, even for the disabled. I just wish I'd brought my rod. 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.
2. The Thoroughfare, with so many lovely shops and everybody trying to do their bit to help. The displays by most of the shopkeepers, were lovely.
3. The Hookers Memorial Garden. What a great idea to have a garden such as this for somebody who lived in Halesworth. My roots as a Kew student made this all the more interesting and the plants already sourced, are making an impressive collection.
4. The Housebound Project 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.
5. The Community Participation. 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. Don't forget to patent itl
6. The Millenium Green and Town Park, both wonderful open spaces with a lovely atmosphere and some great friends, such as Richard Woolnough.
7. Edgar Sewter Primary School. 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.
Areas for Improvement - Having read page 3 of the portfolio 'what you plan to do next year and in future years', there doesn't seem a lot that we can add. The only suggestion would be to limit new projects to keep the standards really high and one thought within the thoroughfare and possibly other areas around the town, would be to standardise the shop planters and try to work to a colour scheme. Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing so well.
August 22nd 2013
Announcing a new Halesworth in Bloom initiative: the HinB Produce and Plant Exchange.
Many of us who are keen gardeners find we have a bit more by way of fruit from our trees, or veg from our plots, than we can possibly eat ourselves.
Or we might have a surplus of seedlings and potted plants at some times of the year. And many of us would be happy to offer our surpluses to others.
As an experiment, therefore, HinB proposes to offer a page on this website on which anyone with a surplus can offer it to the first person to apply - for free - the applicant will be generally expected to pick up the produce.
Go to the page labelled Produce and Plant Exchange, which will give you simple instructions about how both to advertise your surpluses, or place a bid for someone else's.
To find the page, click "more..." near the top rhs of this page, and choose from the further pages which will be displayed.
July 5th 2013 - Anglia in Bloom judging day.
We seem to have made a favourable impression on the judges,
and are very grateful to them for their positive and helpful feedback.
Below is a compilation of pictures of some of the projects visited by the judges, followed by an overview of the events written by Tamsyn Imison.
Tamsyn Imison writes,
"Today, July 5th was nerve wracking for me because I was so concerned that everything went well for everyone who had worked so hard. Our Judges David White and Margaret Spencer were really impressive and helpful and soon put us at our ease.
They were positive about everything and gave us lots of very practical advice.
They even suggested we could put in for four Special Awards, picking out as exceptional:
* the significant number of children at Edgar Sewter School working with Katie Burge
- and their wonderful achievements in the School Garden;
* the Halesworth Skills Centre Students who had made a wonderful grain grinder from an old bicycle for Edgar Sewter;
* Peter Norman's planting around the Halesworth Lakes which includes Tony Eden and Linda Gray's rare trees they have grown from seed - the Black Poplar and the extremely rare Ash, sorbus domesticus;
* and the Maltings Residents' wonderful front gardens.
The Judges were also keen for Robert Le Rougetel, and Malcolm Ballantine's U3A Technology Project Group, to share with all present and future entrants to Anglia in Bloom, the solar powered and computerised watering systems they have designed. Margaret Spencer even wondered whether we should patent them!
The Judges took particular note of all the businesses providing wonderful personal floral welcomes outside their premises and took a photo of Karen at Edwards.
David White commented on the description of our town in our Portfolio that we took with permission from Flick and Son imagining our perfect fantasy market town, and what it would be like - see below .
So, it was a great day for Halesworth and a very good beginning. Next Year we will be even better with everyone helping as they did this time.
A huge thanks to all our generous supporters and hard working contributors for Halesworth in Bloom.
Tamsyn Imison
Halesworth
If you were asked to imagine your perfect fantasy market town what would it be like?
Would it have a long welcoming traffic-free street full of old fashioned useful shops and even (that rare beast) a post office? Perhaps a busy market once a week, as well as the Friday WI Market and a monthly farmers market and in the Thoroughfare a well stocked stationers, haberdashers, an excellent health food shop, a deli and a little grocers that never closes as well as a good quality CO-OP nearby. Would there even be locally caught fish stalls (bliss), a hardware shop (double bliss) and even a couple of fashionable clothes shops or would that be too much to hope for? What about a couple of good antique shops, an auction house and several art galleries?
Add in a couple of banks, doctors, - even one that is NHS - as well as a purpose built health centre with its own sensory garden would you dare to hope for a small local hospital on the same site and even many alternative practitioners to help you relax and untie the knots from walking and gardening?
Would it have good places to meet friends for coffee, lunch or dinner? An excellent library as well as a vibrant Arts Centre in one of the stunning old maltings with a national yearly new theatre festival alongside the town’s own regular Arts Festival, Would the thriving Primary School value horticulture, the Arts and Sport as well as literacy and numeracy?
Would this town be set in magical Suffolk countryside only a few miles from the coast? Could there be riverside walks with kingfishers and otters, a lovely park, and one of the largest Millennium Greens in the country with a major national cycle route cum foot path running through its midst? - and all this with an hourly rail service to London!
It can only be Halesworth!
With acknowledgements to Flick and Son
The World Land Trust, based in Halesworth, and a leading player in the conservation of rare forests and their bird and animal inhabitants in many parts of the world, has offered to play a part in Halesworth in Bloom's activities.
They have come up with some very exciting proposals for entertaining and educating us in the art and science of conservation, which is a key theme in the Anglia in Bloom competition, if on a rather more modest scale than the WLT's context.
We're not giving anything away yet, some lovely surprises await us!
Meanwhile you can visit the World Land Trust website at www.worldlandtrust.org
What they have achieved in the past 20 years is staggering.
(In their Gallery has appeared a vertical garden: the rumour is that this is just a taster for something much grander to come.)
Click on the central arrow to start the Prelude movie, below, with music specially composed
and created by Matthew Sheeran.
It plays most reliably using Internet Explorer or Chrome.
You can adjust definition and image size using a menu accessed at bottom right of the frame.
HD1080 setting gives sharpest images.
Alternatively watch it on You Tube: key in Halesworth in Bloom Prelude
Enter other pages on this site using the menu below the logo.
Use the slider bar on the far right, or the mouse wheel, to scroll down on a page.
Halesworth in Bloom logo designed by Anna Badar.
"Today, July 5th was nerve wracking for me because I was so concerned that everything went well for everyone who had worked so hard. Our Judges David White and Margaret Spencer were really impressive and helpful and soon put us at our ease.
They were positive about everything and gave us lots of very practical advice.
They even suggested we could put in for four Special Awards, picking out as exceptional:
* the significant number of children at Edgar Sewter School working with Katie Burge
- and their wonderful achievements in the School Garden;
* the Halesworth Skills Centre Students who had made a wonderful grain grinder from an old bicycle for Edgar Sewter;
* Peter Norman's planting around the Halesworth Lakes which includes Tony Eden and Linda Gray's rare trees they have grown from seed - the Black Poplar and the extremely rare Ash, sorbus domesticus;
* and the Maltings Residents' wonderful front gardens.
The Judges were also keen for Robert Le Rougetel, and Malcolm Ballantine's U3A Technology Project Group, to share with all present and future entrants to Anglia in Bloom, the solar powered and computerised watering systems they have designed. Margaret Spencer even wondered whether we should patent them!
The Judges took particular note of all the businesses providing wonderful personal floral welcomes outside their premises and took a photo of Karen at Edwards.
David White commented on the description of our town in our Portfolio that we took with permission from Flick and Son imagining our perfect fantasy market town, and what it would be like - see below .
So, it was a great day for Halesworth and a very good beginning. Next Year we will be even better with everyone helping as they did this time.
A huge thanks to all our generous supporters and hard working contributors for Halesworth in Bloom.
Tamsyn Imison
Halesworth
If you were asked to imagine your perfect fantasy market town what would it be like?
Would it have a long welcoming traffic-free street full of old fashioned useful shops and even (that rare beast) a post office? Perhaps a busy market once a week, as well as the Friday WI Market and a monthly farmers market and in the Thoroughfare a well stocked stationers, haberdashers, an excellent health food shop, a deli and a little grocers that never closes as well as a good quality CO-OP nearby. Would there even be locally caught fish stalls (bliss), a hardware shop (double bliss) and even a couple of fashionable clothes shops or would that be too much to hope for? What about a couple of good antique shops, an auction house and several art galleries?
Add in a couple of banks, doctors, - even one that is NHS - as well as a purpose built health centre with its own sensory garden would you dare to hope for a small local hospital on the same site and even many alternative practitioners to help you relax and untie the knots from walking and gardening?
Would it have good places to meet friends for coffee, lunch or dinner? An excellent library as well as a vibrant Arts Centre in one of the stunning old maltings with a national yearly new theatre festival alongside the town’s own regular Arts Festival, Would the thriving Primary School value horticulture, the Arts and Sport as well as literacy and numeracy?
Would this town be set in magical Suffolk countryside only a few miles from the coast? Could there be riverside walks with kingfishers and otters, a lovely park, and one of the largest Millennium Greens in the country with a major national cycle route cum foot path running through its midst? - and all this with an hourly rail service to London!
It can only be Halesworth!
With acknowledgements to Flick and Son
The World Land Trust, based in Halesworth, and a leading player in the conservation of rare forests and their bird and animal inhabitants in many parts of the world, has offered to play a part in Halesworth in Bloom's activities.
They have come up with some very exciting proposals for entertaining and educating us in the art and science of conservation, which is a key theme in the Anglia in Bloom competition, if on a rather more modest scale than the WLT's context.
We're not giving anything away yet, some lovely surprises await us!
Meanwhile you can visit the World Land Trust website at www.worldlandtrust.org
What they have achieved in the past 20 years is staggering.
(In their Gallery has appeared a vertical garden: the rumour is that this is just a taster for something much grander to come.)
Click on the central arrow to start the Prelude movie, below, with music specially composed
and created by Matthew Sheeran.
It plays most reliably using Internet Explorer or Chrome.
You can adjust definition and image size using a menu accessed at bottom right of the frame.
HD1080 setting gives sharpest images.
Alternatively watch it on You Tube: key in Halesworth in Bloom Prelude
Enter other pages on this site using the menu below the logo.
Use the slider bar on the far right, or the mouse wheel, to scroll down on a page.
Halesworth in Bloom logo designed by Anna Badar.
