RHS Britain in Bloom is the largest

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France (now Conseil national de villes et villages fleuris), which since 1959 has promoted the annual Concours des villes et villages fleuris. It has been organised by the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

(RHS) since 2002. The competition is entered by the communities of towns, villages and cities. Different categories exist for various sizes of settlements. Groups are assessed for their achievements in three core pillars: Horticultural Excellence; Environmental Responsibility; and Community Participation. Over 1,600 communities around the UK enter each year, participating in their local region's "in Bloom" campaign. From these regional competitions, roughly 80 communities are selected to enter the national Finals of RHS Britain in Bloom. It is a popular campaign, estimated to involve more than 200,000 volunteers in cleaning up and greening up their local area. Since 2002, the awards have been based on the Royal Horticultural Society's

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standards of Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver and Bronze; the winner is the settlement judged to have most successfully met the rigorous judging criteria. Judging at the regional stage takes place around June/ July; judging for the national stage takes place in August. The results for the UK Finals are announced in September/ October. The competition covers the UK, the

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and the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. Floral displays play an important part in the contest, but the "Bloom" title is now, perhaps, misleading: in recent years the competition has increasingly assessed how all sectors of the local community are managing their local environment. In 2006, the RHS introduced the Neighbourhood Awards (now the It's Your Neighbourhood campaign), a grassroots sister campaign to Bloom, supporting smaller, volunteer-led community groups focused on improving their immediate environment.

History

The history of the 'Bloom', as it is colloquially referred to,Graham Ashworth CBE, ''Britain in Bloom'', pages 7 & 8, The Tidy Britain Group (Wigan:1991) began in 1963 when Roy Hay MBE, a horticultural journalist, went on holiday to France during the ''Fleurissement de France'' and was enthralled by seeing the country "filled to overflowing with flowers, shrubs and trees all in full bloom". His enquiries revealed that President de Gaulle had given orders to brighten up the country and the French Tourist Authority had set up the ''Fleurissement de France'' in 1959 (now called '' Concours des villes et villages fleuris''). Hay was so impressed that he approached the British Tourist Authority (BTA), and he and Len Lickorish, then Director General of the BTA, set up a committee to run a British version, "Britain in Bloom". It was piloted by the British Tourist Authority in 1963 (

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

being part of that pilot), and went national in 1964. Many organisations were invited to help, including:

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; London Tourist Board; National Farmers' Union; London Parks; Institute of Parks and Recreation Administration; National Association of Rural Communities;

;

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

; The Tourist Boards of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

; The National Federation of Women's Institutes; Civic Trust; Keep Britain Tidy Group; the Flowers and Plants Council; The Horticultural Trades Association; The British Hotels and Restaurants Association; The Society of Town Clerks;

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and

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. Despite this impressive list, Roy Hay later reflected that the initial reaction of the horticultural trade and local authorities was lukewarm. Nevertheless, regional committees were quickly formed, and in 1964

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became the first national winner. From 1964 to 1969 inclusive there was an overall national winner. From 1970, however, the competition was divided up into a range of categories, because of the difficulty of comparing settlements of different sizes fairly. The British Tourist Authority managed the competition until 1983 when the Government Department sponsoring the BTA felt that it should relinquish the responsibility. The Tidy Britain Group (the group responsible for the

Keep Britain Tidy Keep Britain Tidy is a UK-based independent environmental charity. The organisation campaigns to reduce litter, improve local places and prevent waste. It has offices in Wigan and London. History Keep Britain Tidy was originally set up by a conf ...

campaign, now known as EnCams) took over; it already had a long association with the competition. To mark the changeover, 1983 was celebrated as "Beautiful Britain in Bloom Year". Sir Lawrie Barratt of

Barratt Developments Barratt Redrow plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was originally based in Newcastle upon Tyn ...

expressed his support to the Tidy Britain Group for the competition and provided sponsorship until 1989. More categories and awards were added, in part reflecting a greater range of settlements, but also to recognise other elements of horticulture, including landscaping, and also to recognise the strenuous efforts to beautify the urban areas of the larger cities.

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began sponsoring the competition from 1990, which led to focus on littering behaviour and the implementation of a Children's Painting Competition Calendar. In 2001, the event was organised jointly by EnCams and the

, and from November 2001 the RHS took full control as the organising body of Britain in Bloom. In 2017, after winning Britain in Bloom Champion of Champions, Elswick admitted to having previously cheated in the competition three years earlier. The volunteers engaged a specialist company to design a display which came in ready assembled trays.

Structure

The competition currently has twelve entry categories, most of which are determined by population size. Within each category, similarly sized communities compete across a spectrum of horticultural endeavour, community participation and environmental responsibility, which includes dealing with issues of litter, graffiti and vandalism. *Category A **Small Village **Village **Large Village *Category B **Small Town **Town **Large Town *Category C **Small City **City **Large City *Category D **Urban Community *Category E **Small Coastal (electoral roll up to 12K) **Large Coastal (electoral roll over 12K)

Judging

RHS Britain in Bloom encompasses 18 Regions/ Nations (12 English regions, as well as

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Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

and

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

). Judging takes place over two years in two stages: #''Regional competition'': Entries are first submitted by voluntary local 'Bloom' Committees, depending upon the area, to Local Authorities, Town or Parish Councils. These communities take part in their regional competition, for example South West in Bloom. The local volunteers are colloquially known as ''"bloomers"''. Judging takes place in June/July, and winners are announced during local presentations between August and November. #''UK-wide'': After the judging of the regional stage, Committees representing their nation/region select entrants for the second UK-wide stage. To ensure that effort is sustained over time, this second stage of judging takes place in August the year after they qualify. Winners of the UK judging are announced at a prestigious ceremony in September/October.

National winners

2020 to 2022

2010 to 2019

2000 to 2009

1964 to 1999

Details to 1990 from Graham Ashworth CBE, ''Britain in Bloom'', The Tidy Britain Group (Wigan:1991)

Subsequent competitions

From the winners and finalists of RHS Britain in Bloom, entries are picked to represent Britain in international competitions such as the '' Entente Florale''.

Discretionary awards

Definition Source

Definition Source
*''The Britain in Bloom Horticulture Award'' ^{(from 2012)} / previously ''The Britain in Bloom Floral Award'' / ''The Asmer Trophy'': Presented to the finalist that demonstrates the best horticultural displays throughout the entry. *''The Environment Award'' ^{(from 2014)} / previously ''The Sustainable Landscaping Award'' ^{(from 2010)} / previously ''The Permanent Landscaping Award'' / ''Beautiful Britain Award''^{(from 1983)}/''Landscape Development Trophy''^{(to 1983)}: Presented to the finalist that demonstrates innovative and high quality sustainable landscaping practices within their entry. (Sustainable landscaping referring to creating an attractive environment that is in balance with the local climate and requires minimal resource input.) *''The Community Award'' ^{(from 2002)} : Presented to the finalist deemed to have best demonstrated that community involvement in their local "in Bloom" campaign is representative of all sectors of the community. * ''Community Champion Award'' / previously ''The Bob Hare Award''^{(from 1980 to 1990)} : Presented to individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment and dedication to the Britain in Bloom cause in their community. *''Commercial Award'' / ''Gordon Ford Trophy'': Presented to the finalist that demonstrates the best environmental and/or horticultural contribution from business / retail / corporate interests. Originally presented by Gordon Ford. *''Pride of Place Award''^{(from 2012)} / previously ''Environmental Quality Award'' / ''Tidy Britain Group Trophy'' / ''Keep Britain Tidy Trophy'' / ''The Keep Britain Tidy Award'': Presented to the finalist that best demonstrates duty and commitment to any one or more of the following: cleanliness, effective use of resources and maintenance of hard landscaping and street furniture. *''Tourism Award'': Presented to the finalist that demonstrates the most effective use of their local "in Bloom" initiatives as a means of encouraging and supporting tourism in their area. *''Best Public Park Award'': Given in Memory of David Welch. Presented to the park (including publicly run pay-on-entry parks and gardens) designed for horticultural excellence, giving delight to the visitor through appropriate planting, high standards of maintenance, including infrastructure, conserving wildlife, cleanliness and features of interest. *''Conservation and Wildlife Award'' / previously ''The Going for Green Trophy'': Presented to the finalist that best demonstrates commitment to sustainable development, including management of the flora and fauna in their local environment. *''Outstanding Contribution'' / previously ''The Moran Memorial Award'': Presented to an individual(s) that judges consider to have made outstanding efforts towards the success and promotion of Britain in Bloom. * No longer awarded: ''Best Inner City / Barratt Inner City Trophy'': for the best effort in inner city areas *''Young People's Award'' ^{(from 2008)} : Presented to the finalist deemed to involve young people from across the community in the best way. *''School Award'': Presented to the school within a finalist community that demonstrates the best commitment to on-going environmental and horticultural initiatives. *''Environmental Responsibility''^{(from 2012)} : Presented to the finalist that best demonstrated responsible management of resources within their entry. *''RHS Britain in Bloom Heritage Award'' ^{(from 2012)} / previously ''Local Roots Award'' :Presented to the finalist that best demonstrated outstanding commitment to the ongoing care and development of their local heritage.

1971 to 1999

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2000 to 2009

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, , Lynton &

Lynmouth Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the northern edge of Exmoor. The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn River, West Lyn and East Lyn River, East Lyn rivers, in a gorge directly below the neighbouring town of Lynton, w ...

, , The Crichton

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

, , Tatsfield , , Pupils and teachers at Applegrove Primary School, Forres , ,

, , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , - ,

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

, ,

- Arlington Business Park , , Saltburn by the Sea , , Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland , ,

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...

- Meadows Residents Association , ,

Drumnadrochit Drumnadrochit (; ) is a village in the Highland (council area), Highland Local government in Scotland, local government Council areas of Scotland, council area of Scotland, lying near the west shore of Loch Ness at the foot of Glen Urquhart. The ...

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

, , Johnston Park

, ,

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...

, , Carolyn Wilson, Alness , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , , - , Falkland , ,

, ,

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

, , Normanton , ,

, ,

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

, , Botanic Gardens

, , Bury St. Edmunds , , Malcolm Wood, Nottingham , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , , - ,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, ,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

- Peace Garden , , Seedley and Langworthy (Salford) , , Bracknell Flowers, Bracknell , ,

, , Falkland , , Jephson Gardens

Royal Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

, , Tilgate Centre,

Crawley Crawley () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a populat ...

, , Doug Stacey , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , Sheffield and Market Harborough , - ,

, ,

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

, , The Friends of Norwich in Bloom , , Fareham Memorial Gardens , ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

City Centre , ,

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administra ...

, , University Park

, , Rottingdean , , Jeanette Warke, Londonderry , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , , - ,

, , St. Helier - Waterfront , , Falkland , , Taylors of Harrogate, Starbeck , , Norton in Hales , ,

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

, , Greyfriars Green

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, , Durlston Country Park,

Swanage Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester. In the Unit ...

, , Clifford Prout, Old Colwyn , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , , - , Grouville , , Bury St. Edmunds and Abbots Green School , ,

, , White Rose shopping centre, Beeston , , Duffus and

, ,

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...

, , Mount Edgcumbe Park

, ,

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

, , Christel MacIntosh, Alness , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , , , , - ,

, ,

, , Cricklade , , Ocean Road, South Shields , ,

, ,

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas (, ) is the Capital (political), capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, Isle of Man, River Douglas, and on a sweepi ...

, , Ravelin Park

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea began as a f ...

, , North Meadow, Cricklade , , Terry Bane , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , Applegrove School,

, , , - ,

Rustington Rustington is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex. Rustington is approximately at the midpoint of the West Sussex coast and midway between Chichester and Brighton. The A259 runs along the north of Rustington, west ...

, , Bangor - Bangor Walled Garden , , Earsdon , , St. Brelade's Bay Hotel , , St Andrew's, Scotland , , Chipping, Lancashire , ,

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

- Valley Gardens , , Farthing Downs and New Hill,

London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...

, , Vic Verrier , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , Falkland, Fife, Falkland , , Eston, North Yorkshire and Plymouth , -

2010 to 2016

, - ! Horticulture !! Environment !! Community !! Commercial !! Pride of Place !! Tourism !! Best Public Park !! Conservation and Wildlife !! Outstanding Contribution!! Young People !! School !! Heritage !! Environmental Responsibility , - ,

, ,

, , Beighton,

, ,

Tameside Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, named after the River Tame, Greater Manchester, River Tame, which flows through it, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Greater Manchester, Denton, D ...

, ,

Bristol Zoo Bristol Zoo was a zoo in the city of Bristol in South West England. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend" biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider underst ...

, ,

Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...

, , Ken Powles and Susan Smith , ,

, , Portchester Northern Community School, Fareham , , Halstead , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , - , Bury , , University of Edinburgh - Pollock Campus , , Chirk (Wrexham) , , Graythwaite Manor Hotel, Grange over Sands , , Derry City, Ulster , , Tenby, Wales , , Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh , , Avon Gorge & Downs, Bristol , , Jim Knight , , Wee FIBbees, Forres, Scotland , , Spring Common School, Moor (Huntingdon) , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , - , Birmingham , , St Helier, Jersey , , Loughborough , , Hendra Caravan Park, Newquay , , Oldham , , Joint winners: Herm, Guernsey; and Great Yarmouth , , Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham , , Kippax (Leeds) , , John Woodward and Clive Addison , , Joint winners: St George's Crypt, Leeds; and Stone, Staffordshire , , St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham , , Chirk (Wrexham) , , Thornbury Community Composting Site, Thornbury , - , Glenrothes , , Diamond Jubilee Gardens,

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

, ,

Biddulph Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south-east of Congleton, Cheshire. Origin of the name Biddulph's name may come from Old English language, Anglo-Saxon/Old English ''bī dylfe'' = "beside the pit or q ...

, Coupar Angus,

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, Hunmanby, Prestatyn, Stanghow and

Starbeck Starbeck is a village and suburb of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. The population of Starbeck Ward taken at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census was 6,226. It has many facilities, including Starbeck railway station, which serves ...

, , Sanderson Arcade and Bus Station, Morpeth , ,

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

, ,

, , The Dingle, Shrewsbury , , Saint Brélade , , Alan Heath, Cumbria, Maurice Baren, Yorkshire and Patsy Clark MBE, Northumbria , , Dartmouth, Morpeth and Prestatyn , , , Oakley School,

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

, , Eston (Middlesbrough) , , Bury , - ,

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

, , London Bridge , ,

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

, , Stockley Park, Hillingdon , , Port Marine & Village Quarter (Portishead) , ,

, ,

Roundhay Park Roundhay Park in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a large urban park situated on the north-east edge of the city, bordered by the suburb of Roundhay to the west, Oakwood, Leeds, Oakwood to the south and the A6120 road, A6120 outer ring road t ...

, Leeds , , Tresco , , Walter Dinning and Mark Wasilewski MVO , , Immingham , , Joint winners: St Mary's School, Dalton with Newton, and Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery School,

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, ,

Pitlochry Pitlochry (; or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotland's 2011 census. (n.p. ...

, , style="background: #C0C0C0;", , -

Regions

There are 18 Regions/ Nations "in Bloom", each of which coordinate regional campaigns in their area. The regions of the UK and

Crown dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...

used in the competition are (with reference to

ceremonial counties Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the monarch's representative in an area. Shrieval counties have th ...

and government office regions):

RHS It's Your Neighbourhood

RHS It's Your Neighbourhood is part of the wider RHS Britain in Bloom initiative, helping volunteer-led groups to improve their local area. Any group can take part, as long as it is volunteer-led and involved in hands-on community gardening. It should also be working with the community for the benefit of the community. Participating groups care for all sorts of spaces - from local parks and gardens, to odd grot-spots which have been transformed and shared residential spaces or alleyways. The campaign was launched by the RHS in 2006 to support grassroots community gardening and there are currently more than 1,300 registered groups. ⁽²⁰¹²⁾ The initiative works around the same three pillars of assessment as RHS Britain in Bloom: Community Participation, Gardening Achievement and Environmental Responsibility; however, it is not a competitive campaign. Participating groups receive an annual visit from an It's Your Neighbourhood assessor, who provides feedback and tips for how to develop projects, and each group receives a certificate of achievement from the RHS. It's Your Neighbourhood is free to enter and open to groups of all sizes.

Source of civic pride

Winning a category within Britain in Bloom at a national or even regional level has proved to be a source of considerable civic pride for the towns, cities and villages involved. Many of the authorities of the winning locations do advertise their achievements on signs within, or more predominantly on the outskirts of their settlement. One journalist stated that "Since Britain In Bloom began in 1963 … nothing has pleased town councillors more than to hammer up a sign at the outskirts of their kingdom trumpeting superiority to incoming visitors… Few events provide a sterner test of civic pride." Examples include Garstang where the sign that leads to the high street at the heart of the town says, above the name "Garstang", ''Britain In Bloom Small Town – Gold Award Winners 2002, 2005'', and "''Invitation Finalists to Champion of Champions 2006''", or

, which advertises its past triumph in the Town category on its welcome signs.

References and notes

External links

Britain in BloomIt's Your Neighbourhood RHS Growing Communities magazine

Other language Wikipedias

* ''Concours des villes et villages fleuris'' - French National Competition article * ''Entente Florale Deutschland'' - German National Competition article {{Royal Horticultural Society Royal Horticultural Society Gardening in the United Kingdom Horticultural competitions Competitions in the United Kingdom British awards 1963 establishments in the United Kingdom Recurring events established in 1963 Annual events in the United Kingdom

History

Structure

Judging

National winners

2020 to 2022

2010 to 2019

2000 to 2009

1964 to 1999

Subsequent competitions

Discretionary awards

1971 to 1999

2000 to 2009

2010 to 2016

Regions

RHS It's Your Neighbourhood

Source of civic pride

Further reading

References and notes

External links

Other language Wikipedias