On Friday night, 25th October 2019, Bath Business Improvement District was awarded gold at the UK Finals of Britain in Bloom held at the RHS Lindley Hall in London, bringing the 2019 tally of gold awards for the city up to three.
A week ago the Bath BID won gold at the Royal Horticultural Society’s South West in Bloom competition and the Bath in Bloom Committee won gold in the ‘Champion of Champions’ competition. These were presented at the South West in Bloom awards in Newquay.
The Bath BID has achieved a gold award in the South West in Bloom competition for the past three years and this year the BID was proud to be nominated to the national stage of the competition, the only Business Improvement District at that level.
The national judges, who visited the city in July, commented favourably on the Wild Walcot Partnership, the high quality of maintenance in Parade Gardens, the team work and community drive behind the renovation of Manvers Street and public landscaping in Brunel Square. Their favourite planters were those in Upper Borough Walls; “Lush” they said, “Just lush”. They identified the ‘Bee Kind’ initiative in SouthGate as a great example of what can be done for urban pollinators and were impressed by the work of the World Heritage Site team to preserve the city. They were very enthusiastic with how well the BID had done as a first time entrant to the Britain in Bloom competition compared to other teams that have been doing this for years.
Allison Herbert, CEO of Bath BID, is delighted;
“It is thrilling to receive such a high accolade from the RHS and be presented with our certificate by Baroness Floella Benjamin. This award represents the creativity and hard work of many people and organisations across the city beyond the BID –Milsom Place, Kingsmead Square, SouthGate and all the pubs, shops and restaurants that make the city look great as well as the hard work from the Bath in Bloom committee and, of course, the Royal Victoria Parks Department of B&NES. The judges noticed this, commenting particularly on the cooperation and relationships across the city.”
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About Bath Business Improvement District
The Bath Business Improvement District (Bath BID) is an independent, not for profit, business-led initiative working to create the environment for businesses in Bath to succeed. Funded by 650 levy payers from the business community in the city centre, the BID operates a small team focusing on five key areas – keeping the city clean, safe, welcoming, prosperous and providing business intelligence.
About Britain in Bloom
Britain in Bloom is the UK’s longest running gardening competition. It provides a regional and nationwide platform for community groups to brighten up their town or city. Many groups also report wide-ranging social and environmental benefits The Britain in Bloom competition was first held in 1964 and has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society since 2002. The competition is entered by cities, towns and villages across the UK and is divided into categories so only communities of a similar size compete against each other. Entrants are assessed for their achievements in three ‘core pillars’: Horticultural Excellence; Environmental Responsibility and Community Participation.
Judging takes place each summer, when judges visit the communities to assess them. However, they do expect to see evidence of year round activity as part of this. The results are announced at an annual awards ceremony each autumn. The Awards granted follow the RHS medal standards of Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver, Bronze or Certificate of Commendation. There is also a series of Judges’ Discretionary Awards to highlight outstanding achievement in a variety of areas.
Over 1,000 communities around the UK enter each year and it is estimated that up to 200,000 volunteers are involved with In Bloom nationally. The first stage of entering is for communities to take part in regional heats. From these, approximately 70 communities are selected to enter the national Britain in Bloom Finals the following year.
About Bath in Bloom
The Bath in Bloom Committee was formed in 1963 when the Britain in Bloom campaign was first launched. A group of local businessmen came together to decide how best to decorate the City streets with flowers, in order to take part in the new competition.
At first, money was collected from local traders to pay for the scheme but as time went by, this became too big a task to manage and so the work of planting and watering was passed to Bath City Council. Bath and North East Somerset Council continues to work in partnership with the volunteers who make up the Bath in Bloom Committee, with the wider community also playing a vital role in the success of the City’s entries.
The Bath in Bloom Competition is a local competition, organised by the Bath in Bloom Committee. It is open to all residents, businesses, schools, institutions or community groups within the boundary of Bath and North East Somerset. It is possible for local schools, businesses, residents and community groups to enter Bath in Bloom as well as take part in their community’s entry to South West in Bloom and the RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards.
