Blooming wonderful town goes gold

A Bury Free Press article by Camille Berriman September 13, 2024.

Bury in Bloom is run by The Bury St Edmunds Society CIO

The blooming delights of Bury St Edmunds have won praise, with the town scooping a host of accolades at an annual regional competition.

The Anglia in Bloom results were announced on Friday , with this year’s Bury in Bloom campaign winning praise from the judges.
The town won a gold award in the large town category, while the Abbey Gardens was also a gold award winner, in the public parks category.

Chris Wiley, Bury in Bloom’s co-ordinator, said: “My heartfelt thanks go to all of our amazing volunteers, and supporters — all of whom
devote so much of their own time, money and encouragement to help keep our town looking its floral best.”

Judges were extremely impressed by the cleanliness of the town, complimenting the exceptional choice of planting in the Gardens and
impressive new wellbeing garden at Wedgwood House, behind West Suffolk Hospital.” Wedgwood House was the overall winner of the best inclusivity garden.

Other wins for Bury include: Nowton Park, which won silver gilt in the nature conservation area category, the Angel Hotel, which also
clinched silver gilt in the pubs./restaurants/hotels category; and water vole habitat creation (Bury Water Meadows Group), which won
bronze in the nature conservation area category.

But this year’s campaign, which relied on sponsorship, was not without its challenges, said Chris. “The reality that many In Bloom
now face, all around the country, is the sudden increase in weeds along roads, paths and on roundabouts. West Suffolk Council
has quite rightly banned weedkiller, but resources to regularly remove all weeds by hand are simply not enough, ” said Chris.
“Roundabouts are our main source of income, adding to the judges’ experience whenever they visit, but every singe site is now hand-weeded. It is with thanks to the financial assistance from the Bury St Edmunds Town Council that Bury in Bloom has now appointed a new
contractor who has now begun a new maintenance contract. “

For more information in 2025, contact Chris on 07311 382819 or email coordinator@buryinbloom.org