Harrogate first entered Yorkshire in Bloom in 1975 and subsequently Harrogate in Bloom was formed in 1990 by Chris Beard, who was Director of Parks for Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) at the time. His brief was to promote Harrogate through Britain in Bloom and the Tidy Britain Campaign, as it was then.
In 1996 the In Bloom team developed into an independent group of volunteers working closely with HBC’s Parks service and this teamwork continues today, ensuring that all the In Bloom criteria are covered. We are also grateful for the support we receive from Harrogate residents, businesses and other local community groups.
The main Harrogate in Bloom group consists of 16 committee members (five new this year) and we meet at least once a month. It is a diverse group and includes
community volunteers
businesses
hoteliers
horticulturists
Harrogate Borough Council
Allotments Association
sixth form students
Harrogate has previously enjoyed considerable success in the ‘In Bloom’ competitions:
2009 Gold Britain in Bloom
2008 Gold Yorkshire in Bloom
2007 Silver Gilt Yorkshire in Bloom
2006 Silver Gilt Britain in Bloom Champion of Champions
2005 Gold Yorkshire in Bloom
2004 Gold Entente Florale
In 2009, Valley Gardens also won the RHS Britain in Bloom Public Park Award
The group also maintains strong links with many local groups, including:
Pinewoods Conservation Group
Rossett Acre Nature Reserve Group
Bilton Conservation Group
Killinghall Moor Conservation Group
Friends of Valley Gardens
Harrogate District Biodiversity Action Group
North of England Horticultural Society
Yorkshire Agricultural Society
Rotary Club of Harrogate
Harrogate Soroptomists
local schools
uniformed organisations
community groups
care homes
Many of our community projects have very little associated costs. Our members and supporters do however, give very freely of their time and support in kind. Projects that require financial input are generally self-funded through some form of associated fund-raising or sponsorship.
The Bigger Picture
Planning in the Harrogate District
Harrogate Borough Council is responsible for preparing a District Local Plan helping to deliver strategic national and regional policies as well as addressing local issues. This plan, adopted in February 2001 seeks to achieve a balance between development needs and protecting the area’s environment. The elements of the strategy that are of particular relevance to In Bloom are:
- protection and enhancement of the special character of the Harrogate district by securing the conservation and looking at the improvement of natural and man-made features for example:
- listed buildings
- ancient monuments
- conservation areas
- SSSI sites
- creation of an environmentally sustainable quantity, pattern and form of development to facilitate the conservation of energy and other natural resources and to minimise the development of green field land. This includes the protection of the countryside by restraining inappropriate development and to safeguard the character and setting of individual towns and villages.
- provision of a good range of quality services for residents and visitors to include shopping, leisure and other community facilities, throughout the district. Policies seek to safeguard and improve existing facilities, including open space, sporting and shopping facilities and allocate new land for these purposes.
As part of the work on updating the open space element of the Local Plan considerable consultation has been undertaken and a new Open Spaces Policy was launched in June 2006 (Please refer to Section C).
Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Strategy
Since 1994 there have been strategies for the district’s Parks and Bereavement Services (Cemeteries and Crematorium). Each has spanned approximately five years. These blueprints have ensured that the services are maintained and improved in an organised way and that priority areas are sufficiently resourced.
In developing the strategies the Parks department has consulted with a large cross-section of the community to ensure that any strategy reflects the views and aspirations of those who enjoy the facilities and benefit from the services.
During consultation on the current strategy, one of the areas identified as being of high importance was the need to become more ‘environmentally friendly’ and this has underpinned much of the work undertaken over the last five years through the introduction of:
- wild flower areas
- amended mowing regimes to provide different habitats
- a practice to minimise processes that have a harmful effect on the environment
- tree planting
- sustainable planting
- peat free trials
During public consultation on the Bereavement Services Strategy an area that was identified was the safety of the cemeteries and the necessity to improve this. This has involved:
- a survey of all memorials in Council maintained cemeteries and churchyards with any unsafe memorials made safe
- a rolling programme of inspection of all the memorials to enable the maintenance of approved safety standards
- the introduction of an annual inspection of boundary walls, fences and paths
The Parks and Bereavement Services strategies continue to be reviewed with the results of consultations with the local community forming the foundation for any new strategies.
