Dear Colleague

Welcome to the Northumbria in Bloom 2010 Competition.

You will see that this year we have increased the entry fees for the competition. As you may know, we are a voluntary organisation and are not funded by any government body. We rely on income from entry fees and any money we raise from sponsorship. Our judges give their time freely but we do need to reimburse their travelling expenses. We have maintained the entry fees at the same level for many years but we need to increase them now.

Taking part in the competition is a rewarding experience, which improves the environment for local residents, encourages tourism and businesses to come to our region, and develops community spirit and a pride in the local environment. Participation in the Northumbria in Bloom competition has improved the appearance of many places enormously, and this has been remarked upon by residents and visitors alike. Winners of the national competition have benefited from the increase in local awareness and tourism.

This year we are announcing a new competition for schools called 'Growing Together'. It is available to all schools in the Northumbria in Bloom area, not just those whose communities have entered the main competition. For more information and an entry form go to the Growing Together page.

Everyone involved with the competition is warmly invited to attend the Inaugural Meeting and the Presentations Ceremony. This year these events are being held in Stockton on Tees. The Inaugural Meeting was held at Wynyard Hall, Tees Valley on Monday 8th March. The Awards Ceremony will be on Monday 13th September at the Oakwood Centre, Stockton on Tees.

Publicity material for the competition is available for your use. For information about this or if you have any queries about the competition please telephone Paula Darrington on 01434 673440 or email Secretary.

I look forward to seeing you in 2010.

Yours sincerely,

Eileen Burn

Chairman, Northumbria in Bloom

On this page (below) is the list of the entry fees and judging allocation times for 2011 and you can download an Information Sheet and guidelines on what should be in your Portfolio. These documents are pdf files (Portable Data Format) and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader(R) to open them. If you do not have it installed on your computer, please click the link at the bottom of the page for a free download.

The 2011 Entry Form is here. Please note that entries must be received by Monday 1st November 2010.

The judges' marking sheet based on the one used by the RHS for National judging will be used again in 2011. It will cover all classes of entry and both spring and summer judging. Download the 2011 Major Awards Marking Sheet here and the Special Awards Marking Sheet here.

The Judging Guidelines will help you to understand what the judges are looking for. The list of Trophy Awards for the various classes is here.

If you would like leaflets for publicity or have any queries about the competition please telephone Paula Darrington on 01434 673440 or email Secretary.

If your community also wishes to enter for Special Awards see the Special Awards page.

Northumbria in Bloom Competition Categories, populations, entry fees and judging time allocations.

Villages, Towns and Cities
Please ensure that you check your Electoral Roll carefully (only include the number of adults eligible to vote) and enter the correct category based on the electoral roll of your entry and not your population.

Category Population Entry Fee Allocation

A1 Small Village 0 - 300 £25 1 hour

A2 Village 301 - 1,000 £25 1 hour

A3 Large Village 1001 - 2,500 £25 2 hours

B1 Small Town 2,501 - 6,000 £125 2 hours

B2 Town 6,001 - 12,000 £125 2 hours

B3 Large Town 12,001 - 35,000 £125
3 hours

C1 Small City 35,001 - 100,000 £500
3½ hours

C2 City 100,001 - 200,000 £500
3½ hours

C3 Large City 200,001 and over £500
4 hours

D Urban Community up to 25,000 £125 2½ hours

E Coastal Resort under 35,000 £125
Up to 2½ hours

NOTES

1. It is regretted that no refund can be given in the event of an entry withdrawing from the competition.

2. Please note that entry fees must be paid at the time of entry. Cheques should be sent to the Secretary (see the Contacts page) and made payable to Northumbria in Bloom.

3. The population figure must be accurate and in accordance with the electoral roll. Please check accuracy.

4. Please allow at least 15 minutes extra for each Special Award and 15 minutes for photographic opportunties and portfolio.

5. Lunch (if provided) - a maximum of 30 minutes.

The Entry pack documents are pdf files (Portable Document Format) and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader® to read them. If you do not have it installed on your computer, please click the link at the bottom of the page for a free download.

'IT'S YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD' AWARDS

This non-competitive category of Britain in Bloom is aimed at smaller resident-led communities who are taking their first steps towards greening up their local environment. Communities register to participate in one of three Neighbourhood categories depending on the size of the local population:

Small neighbourhood (up to 300)

Neighbourhood (301 - 1000)

Large neighbourhood (1001 and over)

While entries are not judged against each other, they are visited by Britain in Bloom experts who provide valuable feedback and helpful advice on how to develop current activities and encourage on-going improvements. Each entry is then presented with an Award of Improvement, Merit or Outstanding Achievement.

If your community would like to enter or for more information go to

www.rhs.org.uk/britaininbloom/GettingStarted/neighbourhood_awards.html