Stony Stratford in Bloom Has Won the Small Town Trophy with GOLD in 2017!

At the Thames and Chilterns Awards Ceremony on Thursday Sept 28th SSIB volunteers heard with delight that not only had SSIB won the Small Town Trophy again, but also had won with Gold! The other towns in the region who entered in the Small Town category were Goring and Twyford.

Meanwhile, the North end pond Project was assessed as ‘Outstanding’ as were the York House Community Gardens.

The judges in their comments on the town wrote:

"Once again Stony in Bloom have ‘pulled out all the stops’ by delivering an entry that excels in many of the criteria required of a successful Bloom entry. ..

It is a testament to SSIB that they have galvanised individuals, organisations, business and the wider community to embrace and benefit from the ethos of Bloom, thereby creating a lovely environment in which to live and work."

The judges were particularly impressed with the choice of colours in the town centre planting schemes, the traditional planting of the church gardens, and the display of hollyhocks on London Rd.

On Environmental Responsibility they praised the bio-diversity fostered at the North end Pond and the Dragon Fly Pond, and the use of composting and upscycling in horticultural practice.

Perhaps the most lavish praise from the judges came from the degree of community participation. They commented: SSIB can be considered a beacon for other Bloom groups to aspire to – the organisation, support and inclusive attitude of the group is to be highly commended.

We in SSIB were particularly pleased by this comment as this is what we value most highly too. We know that it’s community support that explains why Stony Stratford continues to do so well and look so good!