Saxmundham in Bloom 2006

Saxmundham in Bloom 2007 - Silver award

The flower baskets add a big splash of colour to the town...

Yes, the town has bloomed again!

ANGLIA IN BLOOM

Alas, the season of floral splendour is coming to an end and in a very few days the hanging baskets will be
removed for another year. I guess the town will look a little bare for a while, but winter planting will soon be underway.

At the time of writing this article the award ceremony had not taken place but, hopefully, as we go to press we may know if the town has won any awards.

By way of forward planning the compost from the baskets will be recycled to the Saxmundham Middle School to assist their horticultural projects over the winter.

It is the committee's intention to purchase eight “butler” sinks to be positioned at the entrances to the town and these will be planted out to enhance these important “first impression” positions during the winter and forthcoming spring. One of the criticisms from the Anglia in Bloom judges in the past has been the town's lack of winter planting displays but now we are in a position to be able to do something about this, with your help. If you would like to sponsor one of these sinks the cost is £20 for a year; three sinks have already been reserved so if you would like to reserve one for yourself please contact me on 604720 or apply to the Town Clerk on 604595.

We shall be planting in Fromus Square and the Market Place car park area as well and, hopefully, the Scouts and Guides will be working along the banks of the River Fromus. There are also plans to look at the Rendham Road approach to the Town at the A12 intersection.

As you may know there have been some very favourable articles in the local press this year regarding the wonderful appearance of Saxmundham as compared to our neighbour, Aldeburgh. It is nice to see that all the hard work here in Saxmundham has not gone unnoticed but we must expect it to spur Aldeburgh into action in 2008 so we must be prepared for that when we plan our entry for next year.

“Thank you” to all the businesses and individuals who have helped in so many ways to make the town such a beautiful sight this year!

Ken Howe (Chairman - Anglia in Bloom Committee for Saxmundham)

N.B. At the Awards Ceremony of Anglia in Bloom in Ipswich in mid-September the town was awarded Silver in the Small Town category behind Frinton who won Gold and Leiston who won Silver Gilt. I think it is fair to say that the Committee was generally rather disappointed with this result but in the Judge's Report they
commented that we were let down by our entry in the Local Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development section by the lack of planting at the cemetery and the fact that we had not included the Primary School science area in the judge's viewing itinerary. We were also let down by the standard of cleanliness and the amount of litter at the railway station car park and the railway land at the margins of the station. There was also criticism of lack of publicity on the town notice boards of both Anglia in Bloom and Saxmundham in Bloom. The
Committee will undoubtedly address these failings for next year but it does highlight the fact that doing well in this competition is not just a matter of having glorious hanging baskets - there is so very much more to having a really top-notch entry. To achieve all this the Committee needs your support and help so if you are interested in any aspect of the Anglia in Bloom competition get in touch with Ken, or the Town Clerk, and try to ensure an even better result in 2008! Ed.