RHS visit and judging

The Royal Horticultural Society judges came to tour our town centre in July and we should know by close of September 2021 how we have done.  There are various levels of award, according to how well you score.  It is not a competition but the RHS judges assess how you have done by awarding points for various elements.  Our efforts were tremendously well received, but how we do may depend on how other In Your Neighbourhood entries have done.  We sincerely hope we are somewhere between Level 3-4.  Level 5 would be brilliant but this is our very first year with much to learn.  The scoring system is below.

Level 1 Establishing 0-35
Level 2 Improving 36-52
Level 3 Advancing 53-68
Level 4 Thriving 69-85
Level 5 Outstanding 86-100

Time to Bloom… A SPACE TO GROW.

Greenhouse Photo

Local business owner, Angi Cooney, has kindly offered Rugeley in Bloom the use of a large greenhouse.

This is the perfect space for the group’s volunteers to grow and nurture plants before moving them to locations across the town.

The greenhouse now needs to be cleaned up and organised with equipment. We will then be looking for volunteers to help on site – planting, growing, watering …. blooming.

Please follow ‘Rugeley in Bloom’ on Facebook if you are interested to help.

Blooming great start – launch of our first project….

During Rugeley in Bloom’s first Planning Committee in January 2020, it was decided that the first project would be to clean-up the built-up area in Market Street, at the back of Morrisons and next to the Red Lion.

The area was the site of a public toilet many years ago and, since that closed, has become somewhat run down and overgrown.

A group of ‘bloom’ volunteers met at the site on Saturday 22nd February 2020 and set about work. They cleaned up the site, removing the weeds and scraping off the moss. Once clear, it became apparent that the area was slabbed with rubble underneath. The area looked much better with just the overgrowth having been removed.

There is more work in this area planned but, in the meantime, the group have planted a few flowers in areas where the slabs have been removed. It looks much tidier and brighter already!

Working Party 1

A huge thank you to the ‘bloom’ working party – Kate Waterworth, Patrick Cannon, Justin Johnson, Wendy Alpine, Pat Tams, June Lyons, Nick Lyons, Robert Hughes, Olivia Lyons and Roderick McGregor. Additionally, a massive THANK YOU to David Palfreyman from Fine Flowers for the plants, to Tony from Just Panels and Bathrooms for keeping us topped up with tea and coffee and to Creature Comforts for their equipment donation.

Working Party 2
Transformation - Before & After

RUGELEY IN BLOOM HAVE AN OFFICIAL LOGO

January saw the launch of a Rugeley wide logo competition for budding artists and Isla Hodgkiss, aged 8 from John Bamford Primary School, has been crowned the winner.

The response to the competition was fantastic, with submissions from some very talented primary school aged children.

Bloom Logo

Rugeley in Bloom aims to beautify Rugeley, it is not simply about flowers. We want to tell the story of Rugeley and preserve our colourful history. Similarly, participants were guided by the themes of nature, plants, flowers, local landmarks and the history of Rugeley. It was an incredibly challenging decision for the Committee – all entries were fab and very artistic.

A huge congratulations to our winner, Isla, for her vibrant design which incorporates the natural environment of the Chase, our rich mining and industrial heritage and colourful flowers which are beautifully in Bloom.