The judges from the Heart of England in Bloom visited the Soho area on the 30th July to judge the entries made by Soho Finger and Mathew Boulton Neighbourhood Forum. They were met with a warm welcome from a diverse group and it was good to see community residents, councillors, neighbourhood managers and other local organisations together proudly showing their area and streets.
The In bloom competition encourages communities to make their neighbourhood a more beautiful place to live through imaginative planting, cleanliness, sustainability and community effort.
The judges award marks for horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation. This was the second time local residents participated in showcasing their neighbourhood with colourful gardens, hanging baskets , sensory/community gardens and local landmarks all of which make Soho an interesting place to live.
The judges visited the Soho House, St Michael’s Church Community Garden, Richmond Community Garden, Booth Street Park and Soho Community Hall. The judging started at Soho House with a short presentation and tour of the Soho House Museum garden by Clare Pearson viewing the variety of plants and flowers in the prestigious garden.
St Michael’s Church Community Garden was designed with consultations with the local people providing open space where people could enjoy views, plants from around the world, a water feature, seating area and is designed taking in to mind individuals with disabilities.
Richmond Community Garden
The garden is divided into two sections: the front of the garden is the ‘world garden’ with plants from all around the world whereas the rear garden is more ‘forest’ with trees planted and seating area made with recycled timber. The garden was further used to engage local school children with teaching them how to grow food as part of the ‘Grow Eat Move and Live’ project.
Both of the forum Chairs played a pivotal role in taking the Judges across their respective In Bloom routes and ensuring that the Judges engaged with members of their communities.
It was really good to see well maintained community gardens and resident gardens and to engage with local residents who took pride in maintaining their gardens and streets.
Here’s wishing everyone good luck in the competition – by the looks of the plants and gardens they deserve to win!
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