Organisers are celebrating the best year yet for Wight In Bloom, the Island’s own gardening competition.

More than 100 people and organisations entered this year’s competition, sponsored by Southern Vectis, culminating in an awards ceremony at the Liz Earle head office in Ryde.

Alan Titchmarsh, TV presenter and patron of Wight In Bloom handed out the prizes at the ceremony on Tuesday (23 July):

‘It becomes more and more obvious as the years go by, the value of greenery, in any environment. Whether it’s domestic, outside your back door or even if it’s in a window box or a pot or on a larger scale and the Island is blessed with some tremendous gardens, at Osborne and Mottistone, lots of larger places to visit. Places like Robin Hill where you can go and get out, in to the countryside and people not on the Island forget the size of the Island.’

Presenting the awards with Visit Isle of Wight chair Ian Griffiths, Alan said that the contribution to making the Island look better was vital:

‘We can all do our bit and it doesn’t matter how small your patch is, [or] if there’s no patch at all. Window boxes, even hanging baskets, pots – do something to cheer people up, to cheer yourself up.’

Overall winner of Wight In Bloom and recipient of the Peggy Jarman Trophy was 90 year old Frances Brett of Binstead, who explained why gardening was important to him:

‘I wanted to come in to this [competition] and I wanted to win it because it might the last year I put all the effort in. But I think without it, without the garden, I’d be so bored and go downhill.’

Other winners included Robin Hill as Best Large Tourist Attraction Garden and a 1^st,,2^nd and 3^rd for Shanklin in the Best Small Commercial Garden category as The Clifton took the top place ahead of The Carlton and Havelock Hotels , while Haven Hall in Shanklin and The Royal in Ventnor tied first place for the Large Commercial Garden award.

Ian Boyd from ARC Consulting spoke about this year’s Biosphere Reserve recognition from UNESCO, stressing the importance of man’s relationship with his environment – a sentiment that headline sponsor Southern Vectis’ general manager echoed:

Richard Tyldsley, General Manager at Southern Vectis said:

‘We’re really proud to be sponsoring Wight in Bloom in 2019. We really welcome community projects at Southern Vectis and anything to help the Island be more bright and attractive, whether you’re on top of an open top bus or you’re just going for a walk , anything that makes it greener, brighter and adds some colour is really fantastic for the Island.’

‘I’ve just come through Ryde bus station this morning and I think the town council have put some lovely hanging baskets all the way along the front of the bus station. I had to take a photo and tweet that because I think it’s a really positive message to show that we can some glamour and some colour to places that otherwise might be a bit grey and lacking in such things.’

Will Myles, MD at Visit Isle of Wight said:

‘Recent research that Visit Britain put out that showed that gardens and garden tourism is on the huge increase, and obviously, being on the Island, people refer to us as the Garden Isle, we are that green space, we are that place where people can come and recharge their batteries, and we’re the place where people can come and see all the great work that people are doing on the Island.’

Will explained the simple decision to move the awards from later in the year:

‘We moved Wight In Bloom forward from the autumn, so people can actually shout about what they’ve won today, shout that Wight In Bloom is part of it, and also the fact that people can come and see what’s there.’

Wight In Bloom also celebrated the winners of ‘Line In Bloom’, organiser Bobby Locke from the Community Rail Partnership announced Broadlea Primary School as the winners, with their display at Lake train station.

All the finalists received  Liz Earle product bags and were given 14 day free travelcards from Southern Vectis.

In addition to the prizes, St George’s School in Newport (winner of Best Young People Initiative) and Abbeyfield Clifton House in Cowes(Best Care-Giving Complex Garden) were each given a Southern Vectis bus for the day to take students and residents out on a trip of their choice!

ENDS

Note to Editors:

Wight In Bloom is sponsored by Southern Vectis, with co sponsors Liz Earle and the Isle of Wight County Press.

Images attached

Audio attached

Winners as follows:

Wight In Bloom 2019 winners:

Overall winner — Francis Brett, Binstead.

Best small front garden,

Highly commended — Mr and Mrs Mycroft, Bembridge;

Runner-up — John Cavanagh, Ryde;

Winner — Sandy Crump, Newport;

Best large front garden,

Highly commended — Celia Williams, Bembridge;

Runner-up — Linda Maclennan, Alverstone;

Winner — Francis Brett, Binstead;

Best small tourist attraction garden,

Highly commended — Rylstone Gardens, Shanklin;

Runner-up — Farringford Estate Gardens;

Winner — Mottistone Gardens;

Best large tourist attraction garden,

Highly commended — Needles Landmark Attraction Park;

Runner-up — Princess Beatrice Garden, Carisbrooke Castle;

Winner — Robin Hill Country Park;

Best small commercial garden,

Highly commended — Carlton Hotel, Shanklin;

Runner-up — Havelock Hotel, Shanklin;

Winner — The Clifton, Shanklin;

Best large commercial garden,

Highly commended — Bembridge Coast Hotel;

Tied-winners — The Royal Hotel, Ventnor, and Haven Hall, Shanklin;

Pride of place,

Highly commended — Valerie Zurcher, Cockerall Rise, East Cowes;

Runner-up — Sandown Garden Town Volunteers, Eastern Gardens;

Winner — Bembridge Parish Council, Bembridge War Memorial Gardens;

Best young people initiative,

Highly commended — Lucas Richards, Nettlestone;

Runner-up — Haylands Primary School, Ryde;

Winner — St George’s School, Newport;

Best edible garden,

Highly commended — Richard Ridley, Lake;

Runner-up — Glenn Martin, Whitwell;

Winner — Keith Bloomfield, Quarry Road Allotments, Ryde;

Best container garden,

Highly commended — Geraldine Furmidge, Newport;

Runner-up — Michael Tyler, Newport;

Winner — Mr and Mrs Smallman, Shanklin;

Best care giving complex garden,

Highly commended — Mountbatten Hospice; Newport,

Runner-up — Knights Court, Ventnor;

Winner — Clifton House, Cowes;

Hidden gem award — Jeane Minx, Ventnor;

Line in Bloom award,

Highly commended — Dover Park Primary School; Winner — Broadlea Primary School;