Success for local gardners at In Bloom awards ceremony

Cllr Bridget George joined south and south east judge Geoff Hyde to begin the Bexhill in Bloom award ceremony in the Grosvenor Park BUPA building, Brookfield Road.

Geoff presented South East in Bloom Certificates to a list of worthy recipients, including schools such as King Offa and Glyne Gap and pubs including the Rose and Crown, the Wheatsheaf, the Denbigh and the Sportsman.

Cooden Beach Hotel, Dunselma Hotel, the Towns-women's Guild, Barbara Echlin and Mr and Mrs Parr were also awarded certificates, and Highwoods received the Community Conservation Award.

Ingrams Community Allotments received the RHS Britain in Bloom Outstanding Award as well as the Bexhill in Bloom Community Award and cup.

Youth prizes donated by Freedom Leisure were presented by manager Paul Norris to winners Glyne Gap Special School, with King Offa School a close second. First Friends Nursery, St Mary Magdalene School and St Mary's Wrestwood Road were all runners up.

The popular Greenfingered Fred from ESK Garden Club in Eastbourne, who also sponsors prizes for Bexhill in Bloom, held a Plant Focus on four plants he had brought with him, which later raised 25 in auction.

Richard Ostle, Chamber of Commerce President, then congratulated the committee on winning four major awards in South and South East In Bloom, before the main categories were awarded.

Best Hotel, Guest House or Residential Home: Peterhouse, with Cooden Beach Hotel second.

The Douggie Boustred Cup for Best Licensed Premises: the Wheatsheaf, with Rose and Crown second and the Blacksmith's third.

Private Formal Garden: 63 Reginald Road, with Trafalgar House second and 18 Courthope Drive third.

Private Informal Garden: 15 South Cliff, with numbers 14 and 24 Filsham close behind.

Rother Challenge Cup for the best Retail or Commercial Premises: Garden Caf.

Collington Lodge Cup for Garden Flat: Flat 2, 24 Buckhurst Road, with 33 Cantelupe Road in second.

Bert West Memorial Bowl for Containers: 6 Lionel Road. Second was 5 Henley Court, with Woodsgate Park third.

The Lynne Bullen Garden Design Cup: 1 Collington Rise, who were also the overall winner of the competition. Second place to 37 Colebrooke Road.

The Bexhill Horticultural Society Cup for best Community effort: Bexhill Neighbourhood Gardeners on the Community Allotments. Second place went to 4 Courthope Drive for work keeping the Bus Stop area tidy.

Sandy Melvin, chair of Bexhill in Bloom, said she was thrilled with these results, as well as the South and South East In Bloom awards announced earlier this month: "I am delighted to see so many people here, but the committee are still looking for more members. If anyone would like to join, please contact 01424 844641."

Cllr Paul Lendon closed the evening by thanking BUPA and all those present, including Greenfingered Fred, Bexhill's mayor and the Bexhill in Bloom committee, who work throughout the year on a voluntary basis.

Diary dates for the 2010 competition were announced:

The competition launches on Friday, March 19, with the Turkey Road Open Garden on Saturday, May 15.

Judging will take place on Monday, July 19, with awards at the end of that week, enabling everyone to go around and look at the winners gardens.

One category for Private Gardens replaces Private Formal and Private Informal, and two categories, Seaside Garden and Community Garden, were introduced.