Leighton-Linslade in Bloom celebrates awards success

A special celebration event was held on September 14 at Astral Park and all those who had helped with the judging route as well as those who had also given up their time throughout the year with the various activities were invited.

All the awards were on display including the trophies for the two regional winners. One was for Tactic, which produced the stunning panels by the Leighton Buzzard War Memorial. This is the second time the Teenage Advice and Information Centre has won the Bill Webster Young People’s Project award for 12 to 18-year-olds. The other was for Linslade Wood. It was the first year that a woodland has been entered and gaining a Gold and being the overall winner in the Woodlands category is a great achievement.

Tiddenfoot Waterside Park was entered in the Large Parks over 10 acres category for the first time and it achieved a Gold.

As the judges travel along the judging route they look for special awards and each pair of judges then nominates the best they have seen in each of 12 categories. Leighton gained a nomination for the Drought Garden on West Street, which was only just completed before judging last year, and a nomination for the Linslade Community Garden, which was a sea of weeds at this time last year.

A presentation by Ian Haynes, head of Grounds and Environmental Services at the town council, explained the achievement of gaining 12 Golds and two Silver-Gilts. Town council staff should be rightly proud of the Golds for the cemeteries and parks in the town with all but Linslade Recreation Ground gaining the top award. Five public house displays were entered, with four gaining a Gold.

Retaining the Gold for the town has been a great achievement on which we hope to build in the future.

The Town Mayor, Cllr Clive Palmer, then presented a cheque to Florence Nightingale Hospice, which was Leighton-Linslade in Bloom’s nominated charity for 2018.