Villages
Here are some of the entries to Northumbria in Bloom for Towns and
Coastal Resorts with extracts from the judges' comments.
Villages are classed according to
their population size.
Class A1 Small Village
There were thirteen entries this year and ten received medals, one bronze, six silver, two silver gilt and one gold.
The top villages, Melkridge and Stanghow, impressed the judges as excellent examples of what can be achieved when communities work well together. Both were a joy to visit in spring and summer. Stanghow in particular was doing a huge amount of work and improving their area by leaps and bounds.
Callerton came top winning its first Gold medal. Considering they had almost withdrawn in the spring because of other commitments and difficult circumstances facing some key members of the volunteer committee, their achievement after years of slowly building up their expertise was stunning.
The judges were impressed by the high level of community involvement with more and more residents improving their front gardens, the extra effort by the local pub to improve its grounds and the floral impact at the entrance to the village, which was superb. A first class effort.
Thirteen villages entered this class although Belford was forced to withdraw because of flooding. Three won bronze, three silver and one gold medal.
Earsdon kept
up its hard won reputation for excellence winning a well deserved
Gold medal and the Percy Boydell trophy for the Best Overall Entry in
2007. Eardon's high standards, commitment and enthusiasm, the
quality
and quantity of its plants throughout the village in spring and summer,
and its attention to detail once again impressed the judges. They
loved the colourful displays throughout the village which are a tribute
to the hard work of the residents and the council. The challenge now is
to keep up the very high standard achieved. A worthy winner and leader
in its class.
Class A3 Large Village
Sixteen entries all won medals, eight bronze, six silver, one silver gilt and one gold.
Once again Warkworth came
top of its class as the best large village in the region, improving its
marks this year to reach Gold medal standard. Building on its long
tradition of excellence and community involvement, Warkworth has made a
number of improvements this year. The judges were pleased to see
the pubs looking better than ever with more colour in the Main Street
and the recent work in the churchyard was maturing well, a pleasure to
see. The floral impact in Warkworth was very good with some great
colour combinations and the displays at the village entrances
were excellent. The judges were impressed by the quality and
quantity of sustainable planting. They were pleased to see the
River Coquet, an important wildlife area, well maintained and litter
free. The wildlife pond and wild flower project at the school are
excellent. The standards of cleanliness and tidyness in Warkworth
are impressive. Even the vicar was spotted sweeping the pavement
on the morning of the judges' visit.
See also Cities and Towns and Coastal Resorts