Clare In Bloom
Clare in Bloom News ....
**STOP PRESS** Anglia in Bloom judges will be visiting Clare on Thursday 17th July, starting at 10.00 a.m.
Clare won a Silver Award in the Anglia in Bloom competition in 2007 and Mr Twitchett's front garden and the Country Park were nominated for special awards. The year began in the autumn and volunteers planted crocuses in the green opposite The Ship Store and Sperrinks Nursery did the winter planting. The shrubs we planted in the church border in early 2007 are now looking established and therefore we hope to be able to cut back on the seasonal bedding to save cost and waste.
Open Gardens 2008
To raise funds for Clare in Bloom we have organised a Gardens Open Day on Sunday 29th June from mid-day to 6.00 p.m. 15 gardens will be open. Tickets cost £3.50 each, children free and can be purchased beforehand at either Hudgies or Clare Pharmacy or on the day at any of the gardens. Teas will be served at two of the gardens and there will be plants for sale.
Local Competition Winners 2007
Best Shop Front - Cafe Clare
Best Public House - The Swan
Best Container - 4 Lutus Close
Best Hanging Basket - Clare Cottage
Best House Frontage - 75 Highfield
Best Front Garden - 1 Clarence Road
Best Street - Daneum Holt
Judge's Special Award - 1,2, &3 Church Lane
Prizes and certificates were awarded at the Autumn Horticultural Show
A committee of four people came together to take ‘Clare in Bloom’ forward into 2007. Many plans, which had been made in 2006, came to fruition in 2007.
In the autumn crocuses were planted, by volunteers, on the green outside the Baptist Chapel. In keeping with our plans to continue sustainable planting, shrubs were planted in the church border. The Lottery Grant was used to buy and install a water butt to gather water from the cemetery chapel roof. We were able to help the primary school purchase large planters for flowers and vegetables. With funding from CLASP we were able to buy and plant herbaceous perennials in the grounds of Churchill Close.
The primary school ran a competition to name the water bowser bought with the Lottery Grant in 2006. A local printing firm made nameplates “Bob the Bowser” for the bowser. The Scout troop made very decorative collection boxes to put in the shops in Clare and we are going to ask the Scouts if they would like to take over the management of the two large planters at the community centre.
Although our grant from St Edmundsbury Council was reduced by £1,150 this year, we have been able to progress the Clare in Bloom plans with a grant from Clare Parish Council and with generous sponsorship from local businesses and organisations in Clare. The Parish Council also waived the cost of an extra grass cut close to the time of judging. The attractive collection boxes encouraged people to make generous donations.
We used a local garden services company, Jacksons, to plant the summer bedding and hanging baskets. We have had many very positive comments about the summer flowers although we all realise it is difficult, if not impossible, to please everyone.
We would like to thank Ailsa Jobson for watering the plants very well and regularly so we were able to enjoy such a long and vibrant season. The compost area in the cemetery has been very useful for the spent summer planting and hopefully in coming years the compost will be able to be used in the containers around Clare.
Our volunteer force, which weeds, deadheads and clears, has grown this year. Our oldest volunteer is now ninety and a wonderful testament to the benefits of gardening. A get together coffee morning was held at the beginning of the summer season.
A very experienced landscape garden designer, Richard Keating, judged our local competition and prizes will be awarded at the Autumn Horticultural Show.
We will be planting crocuses in the green opposite Ship Store.
Funding of Clare in Bloom will probably be an ongoing problem and with this in mind we are thinking about ‘Clare Open Gardens’ to raise money for 2008. We have sourced a company that makes greeting cards from photographs and maybe next year we will take photos specifically for this purpose, again to raise money.
Clare received a Silver Award from Anglia in Bloom and Mr Twitchett’s front garden and the Country Park were nominated for special awards.
Thank you to the Clare in Bloom Committee, volunteers, Mr Pryke for letting us store equipment in his shed, the ladies at Merton House who let us keep the bowser in their garden during the summer, the Parish Church for enabling us to fill the bowser from their tap, the children of Clare, Scout leaders and teachers, sponsors and everyone who has helped this year.
2008 Committee members are:
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Treasurer:
June Smith |
Secretary:
Ailsa Jobson |
Volunteer
Co-Ordinator:
Carol Masson |
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