Tower Hamlets is bloomin’ marvellous
Tower Hamlets has some of the best parks and open spaces in the capital.
The borough is blooming with pride after being presented a Gold award at this year’s prestigious London in Bloom competition.
The accolade was awarded on September 8 at the London in Bloom competition run by the Royal Horticultural Society which feeds into the national competition – Britain in Bloom. The London-wide competition encourages communities, residents and businesses to work together to make the capital a greener and cleaner place to live, work and visit.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Tower Hamlets which residents and visitors will benefit from. By working together and taking pride in the area in which we live, we can all help to make a difference to our environment.”
Specific awards were granted to:
- Lady Mico’s Almshouses won first prize in the community garden category;
- Rocky Park Urban Gardens collected first prize in the best allotment category;
- Winterton House Organic Garden (pictured above) marked as ‘Outstanding’ for the Your Neighbourhood section;
- Zander Court Garden Club and Teesdale and Hollybush Community Tenants & Residents’ Association judged as “Thriving” in the Your Neighbourhood section.
London in Bloom judges visited the borough in July where they were taken on a tour of parks, community gardens and open spaces. Sights included the majestic sunken gardens in Victoria Park – reminiscent of the floral displays from the 1840s when the park first opened and several community gardens including Lady Mico’s Almshouse, Rocky Park and Spitalfields City Farm boasting wonderful displays. They also took in the beautiful floral exhibits at Bethnal Green Museum Garden and Trinity Square Gardens, and checked out the borough’s biodiversity at the Mile End Park Ecology Park.
Cllr Shafiqul Haque, cabinet member for culture added: “I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to brighten up our community by turning their garden, balcony, school grounds and any space they have into a floral mural. Well done!”
The awards ceremony took place on September 8 and was hosted at The Kia Oval, Surrey County Cricket Club, Kennington.
