The Tower Hamlets in Bloom competition was a chance to praise the gorgeous gardens and green spaces created by the borough’s most talented gardeners. Green-fingered residents were invited to an awards ceremony on December 9 at the Art Pavilion, where they were presented with certificates by deputy mayor Cllr Oliur Rahman.
Organised by the council, the competition is part of a nationwide scheme to encourage people to become interested in plants, wildlife and the environment. The competition has inspired residents to make the most of green spaces and to turn even the smallest garden into an idyllic haven.
This year the competition received more than 100 entries. The gardens were judged during the summer by council officers Mohammed Raja, Paul Sammut, Katherine O’Brien and Keith Woodard, with help from Biodiversity Officer John Archer in the two wildlife gardening categories.
Cable Street Community Garden was the best community wildlife garden for the second year running, narrowly beating Bethnal Green Nature Reserve. In the individual wildlife garden category, Gary Howes and Andrew Whibley’s amazing garden in Backchurch Lane (left) triumphed for the fourth year in a row, ahead of Gail Stephens.
Spitalfields City Farm had an excellent night, winning two awards and coming third in the Best Wildlife Garden
category. The Coriander Club, which has been running at the farm for 13 years, gives residents the chance to grow their own food. Mhairi Weir, farm manager, said: “We were delighted with our performance this year and it is always nice to get recognition for the work we do. It was a lovely event.”
Mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “The Tower Hamlets in Bloom competition is such a great way for residents to make the borough an attractive place to benefit those who live here and visit the borough. Congratulations to all of the winners.”
Cllr Oliur Rahman added: “I was very impressed with the high standards set by our gardeners and it really is a nice way to bring the community together. And this has been a terrific year for parks as Victoria Park was voted the nation’s favourite and we won a Gold award at the London in Bloom competition.”
The awards ceremony was sponsored by J & L Coster (Drainage) Ltd, JC Coster (Metalwork) Ltd, Canary Wharf Group and Bow Maintenance & Landscaping Ltd.
Header photo: Gary Howes, Andrew Whibley and Gail Stephens collect their awards from Deputy Mayor Oliur Rahman (Rehan Jamil)
