Harrogate in Bloom

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Harrogate BID Manager, Matthew Chapman said: “Three years ago this award was a huge aspiration of Harrogate BID and after winning Gold in last year’s Yorkshire in Bloom awards and then being entered as a an RHS Britain in Bloom finalist, we are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded a gold award.”

“This Summer's Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration was the second year of the campaign and it was a huge success increasing footfall, spend and first impressions with visitors and residents alike. It celebrated the great international connections Harrogate holds as well as the town’s floral heritage that it is famed for through, through a series of unique displays. I must pay special thanks to all the many organisations who supported Harrogate BID on this entry”

Harrogate in Bloom is judged in the C4a Small City Category. The judges said:

"This very successful bloom group continues to act as a co-ordinating body for a number of groups and bodies who contribute in the widest sense to the environment of Harrogate. Those involved include Horticap, RHS Harlow Carr, Methodist Church, Harrogate BiD, Allotment holders, conservation groups, Agricultural society and the council amongst many others. The floral displays in the town and on the approach roads are excellent and maintained to a high standard. This is matched in places with perennial planting and alternative mowing regimes to improve biodiversity. Harrogate BiD is promoting bloom to encourage more visits to the town with a major promotion programme. All the combined groups demonstrated commitment to working to improve Harrogate with year-round programs and plans for the future. Congratulations to all involved and for venturing out on what was a very wet day."

Other results from the Harrogate district:

C2 – Urban Community Category: Starbeck in Bloom – Gold Award and Joint Category Winner

C3c – Large Town Category: Knaresborough in Bloom – Gold Award and Joint Category Winner

C4c BID / Town or City Centre Category: Ripon in Bloom – Silver Gilt Award

B1- Small Business Category: Harrogate Golf Club – Silver Gilt Award

B2 - Medium Business Category: Goldborough Hall – Gold Award and Category winner
Nidd Hall Hotel – Gold Award

B3 - Large Businesses Category: Rudding Park Hotel - Gold Award and Category winner

B4 - Tourist Attractions Category: Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park – Gold Award

C6 - Parks, Gardens & Cemeteries Category: Knaresborough Castle – Gold Award
Conyngham Hall – Silver Gilt Award;
Spa Gardens Ripon – Platinum Award
Valley Gardens Harrogate – Platinum Award

C7 RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards: Ripon Museums Trust – Level 5 - Outstanding
Stonefall & Panhandle Parks – Level 4 – Thriving
Woodlands Community Garden – Level 4 - Thriving

Full results can be found on the Yorkshire in Bloom website: www.yorkshireinbloom.co.uk
Well done to everyone who entered Yorkshire in Bloom 2023.

The Hammond Mann Trophy was awarded for the School Gardens Competition, which was reintroduced this year. The three entrants were Coppice Valley School, Harrogate Grammar School and Richard Taylor School. All three received a Silver Award and Richard Taylor School was chosen to receive the trophy. The school holds an afterschool gardening club, and their garden includes a wildlife pond, raised beds, a polytunnel and a garden for outdoor classes.

The Shop Window competition was run in conjunction with the BiD. There were six entries – Fattorinis, Georgie’s and Sharps Bedrooms received a Bronze Award; Oxfam received a Silver Award; The Yorkshire Soap Company and Helen James received a Gold Award, and the McCrindle Trophy was awarded to Helen James.

The Crowther Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Hotels and Guesthouses Category. There were six entries – West Park Hotel received a Bronze Award; Arden House Hotel and Cedar Court Hotel both received a Silver Award; The Crown Hotel, Shelbourne House and The White Hart Hotel all received a Gold Award, and the category winner was the White Hart Hotel. The judges said the excellent range and mix of seasonal and sustainable plantings gave a high impact, having excellent quality throughout.

The year the Harrogate in Bloom Shield was awarded to the Communal Grounds category. There were four entrants – Low Harrogate Bowling Club and West Park United Reform Church received a Silver Award and Bilton Community Centre and Royal House both received a Gold Award. The winner of the Harrogate in Bloom Shield was Royal House, which has a beautifully designed front garden with a wide variety of shrubs and superb standard roses.

There were five vibrant entries in the Pubs and Restaurants category for the Parks Department Rose Shield. The Giggling Squid and Piccolino’s received a Silver Award and The Coach and Horses, Vivido and The Winter Gardens received a Gold Award. The Parks Department Rose Shield was awarded to The Winter Gardens. The judges said that the floral containers on Parliament Street give immediate impact with excellent colour range and mix in the baskets and planters. The plants were all in good condition.

The Bettys Teapot was awarded for the best Residential Community gardens this year. There were seven entries – Oak Lodge and Wedderburn Lodge received a Sliver Award; Byron Court, Oakhurst Chatsworth Court, The Manor House, Rogers Alms Houses and Swan Court all received a Gold Award, and the winner of the Bettys Teapot was Swan Court. Very attractive gardens surround Swan Court flats, and the new feature garden was designed by one of the residents. There is a wide selection of shrubs and hydrangeas with colourful hanging baskets and containers. At the time of judging, the rose garden was spectacular.

The Edgar Scholey Shield was awarded to Pine Street Allotments at the Harrogate & District Allotment Federation Annual Show in August. The judging is organised in collaboration with Harrogate in Bloom, so the Shield was re-presented to the Secretary of Pine Street Allotments. The Harrogate Borough Council Trophy for the best allotment plot went to Peter Walker of Pine Street Allotments.

The Harrogate Chamber of Trade and Commerce Trophy is a discretionary award, which this year went to Open Country. This charity, which works alongside disabled people, helping them to access and enjoy the countryside, has been very active this year in supporting Hookstone and Stonefall Action Group in laying new footpaths in Hookstone Wood under the guidance of the Council Countryside Rangers.

The President’s Award goes to a person or organisation that is considered to have gone above and beyond the requirements of their job to provide a better service. This year the award was given to the Refuse Collection Team who are responsible for the collection of refuse at Swan Court. The team are always cheerful and ready to help, working well with the caretaker to keep everything clean and tidy.

The final trophy to be presented was the Mayor’s Trophy, which is awarded to a person in one of the community groups who has shown dedication to ‘In Bloom’. Carolyn Rothwell has been outstanding in the time and effort she gives to Harrogate in Bloom – providing the agendas and minutes for our monthly meetings as well as volunteering with Horticap and the Pinewoods Conservation Group and working at Harrogate District Hospital. Carolyn was unable to attend the award ceremony as she was giving a talk in Starbeck Library. However, Christine Brown, who organised the library event, awarded the trophy to Carolyn at the end of her talk.

Pam Grant, President of Harrogate in Bloom, thanked everyone for their involvement in ‘In Bloom’ and in the successful awards evening. She congratulated Jon Clubb on his appointment as the New Head of Parks for North Yorkshire Council and thank him and his team for their work to maintain the floral reputation of Harrogate. Finally, Pam reminded everyone to ‘Keep Blooming!’

Harrogate Bid has worked in partnership with Harrogate in Bloom, Harrogate International Partnerships, RHS, and North Yorkshire Council, to highlight Harrogate’s many international links through a series of amazing floral installations in the town centre.

The installations celebrate the twinning of Harrogate with Luchon in France, Montecatini in Italy, Barrie in Canada and Wellington in New Zealand. Our town's special links with Switzerland and Japan are also featured.

An interactive floral trail leads visitors around the spectacular displays.

Harrogate BID Manager Matthew Chapman said:
“The Harrogate Floral Summer of Celebration features unique, vibrant and eye-catching floral displays, each telling a story of how international relations have flourished to bring together the very best of our respective cultures.”

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Yorkshire in Bloom judges had to brave very inclement weather when they came to visit Harrogate. The rain poured, but Harrogate in Bloom members were still able to demonstrate all the floral and horticultural highlights of our town, visiting Harlow Carr Gardens Harlow Hill Allotments, Harrogate Grammar School, the Town Centre, including a display in the Library, Woodlands Community Garden, the Yorkshire Event Centre, Hookstone Woods, the Police Treatment Centre and finishing the tour at Horticap.

However, the weather was much improved when Harrogate BiD showed off their wonderful Floral Summer of Celebration, which they've organised in collaboration with Helen James Flowers, to the Britain in Bloom judges. The BiD's Britain in Bloom entry resulted from close partnership working with a number of different organisations, including Harrogate Theatre, The Turkish Baths, Harrogate Library, Harrogate in Bloom and Harrogate Spring Flower Show and North Yorkshire Council’s Parks & Gardens team .

Harrogate in Bloom and Harrogate BiD eagerly await the results of their efforts.

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The Stray Defence Association was offered the red telephone box, which was situated on the Stray near Otley Road and in a very sorry, dilapidated state, in January 2023.

The telephone box was ‘uplifted’ by the specialist renovation company early on the morning of the 16th March 2023. The old position on the Stray adjacent to Otley Road has been made safe, restored and reseeded to return it to Stray land.

Thanks to a very generous benefactor the box has subsequently been completely renovated, restored to its iconic scarlet and the panels engraved and prepared with the history of Harrogate’s wonderful Stray before being moved to its new position on the edge of West Park Stray.

Here, on the 12th May 2023, the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Stray Defence Association, the SDA committee and a group of SDA members, young and old, together with invited guests from Harrogate in Bloom and the Harrogate Civic Society gathered together to officially open the box. With two young enthusiasts pulling the green ribbon bow to signal this.

it is the Stray Defence Association’s hope that it will become a valued part of the West Park street scene and an intriguing and iconic information source for both local people and visitors to Harrogate

A team from Open Country did a huge amount of the wheeling and levelling of the stone on a long length of paths. The work was co-ordinated by Shirelle Hawkins from North Yorkshire Council and many other volunteers including local residents and members of Starbeck in Bloom helped with the task. The materials were purchased with funds from a local ward councillor through his local ward budgets. Feedback from visitors to the woods have been very positive. Great work HASAG!

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