Bury St Edmunds wins gold medal at Britain in Bloom competition

Gardeners from Bury St Edmunds rose to the challenge this week, snagging a top prize at a national horticulture competition.

Bury in Bloom was one of 45 finalists to make the cut in this year's Britain in Bloom contest, winning a gold medal yesterday for its floral highlights.

Its portfolio included community garden groups, restoration projects, the installation of electric lawnmowers, sculptures on roundabouts, and rainwater collection to water its plants.

Flower displays in Abbey Gardens and 500 new hanging baskets installed every year also show off the town's dedication to the craft.

The town was short-listed for the final after snagging its 11th gold medal in the Anglia in Bloom competition in September, although it lost the region's top spot to Dunstable, in Bedfordshire.

All four finalists from the East of England won gold medals for their projects.

Darren Share, the chair of Britain in Bloom's panel of judges, said: “Congratulations to all the finalists for putting on such impressive displays this year while embracing sustainable horticulture.

"We enjoyed seeing the forward-thinking ways groups are working to make their planting more resilient to climate change and also contributing to carbon reduction in their communities."

In addition to winning medals, groups competed in various categories, including town, village or business improvement.

Bury won its gold in the BIDs, Town & City Centres category.

This year's competition had more of an environmental focus, with regional winners planting thousands of trees, removing invasive species, or shielding against extreme temperatures.

Bury in Bloom co-ordinator David Irvine said the organisation was thrilled to have won another gold medal for its gardening.

He added: "Bury in Bloom is made up of many parts, and we're happy we were able to illustrate everything to the judges and the hard work everyone put in.

"The impression we tried to create was one of a floral town tackling challenges in a changing climate while embracing 21st Century technology."