Judges from the Northumbria in Bloom competition have arrived to cast their eyes over the floral efforts of Stanley and other County Durham towns.
It is the third time that Stanley has participated in the competition. Stanley is competing in Northumbria in Bloom’s Regional Town category this year. In 2016, Stanley claimed the silver in its category.
Chester-le-Street is competing in the Large Town category, having also won silver last year.
Durham City is taking part in the Small City section. Last year, Durham clinched the gold in both the Northumbria in Bloom’s Champions of Champions category and in the national Britain in Bloom competition.
All the three bids are led by local community groups and all have the support of Durham County Council.
The judges – from The Royal Horticultural Society Northumberland – paid a visit to the towns in April. They have come back this week for a final assessment – to see how the town’s displays are looking now that summer is underway.
The winners in each category will be declared on September 13th.
A spokesperson for Durham County Council commented, “Judges will get to see how well community schemes and projects have evolved since spring and we want to showcase how hard all volunteers, partners and organisations work to add value to the places they live, work and visit.”
Northumbria in Bloom is a voluntary association that runs the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom competitions in County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside, and Tyne and Wear.
Britain in Bloom competitions have been encouraging communities to use gardening skills to enhance their local environments since 1964. Getting involved in Britain in Bloom can lead to cleaner, greener and safer neighbourhoods and provide a boost to local businesses and tourism.
Each year, more than 3,000 community groups take part in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom and It’s Your Neighbourhood schemes.
(Featured image courtesy of torbakhopper, from Flickr Creative Commons)
