Heart of England in Bloom judging   01/08/2008

Being met at the Royal Hotel by Lyn Tomlinson and Mary Sinclair Powell, the group set off in the WRVS minibus to the riverside where they were greeted by many of the people of Ross including the Mayor, the Mayoress, the Deputy Mayor, Joyce Thomas MBE DL, District Councillors, members of Herefordshire Council Departments who have helped to get the town ready, Girl Guides and major sponsors to name but a few. The charming young Carnival Princess joined other townsfolk and was able to present the judges with the portfolio outlining a years work by Ross-in-Bloom in preparation of their visit.

The press were out in full force – the judges commented on how well Ross always does in getting the press to attend this event as well as the magnificent number of other people that were waiting next to the boat.

During their visit they were able to talk to Jessica Blake of the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust on the plans afoot for the regeneration of the riverside walk – turning it eventually into a circuit of the town. Having been met at the church gates by two Roman Centurion Soldier, the Roman Dig at the Prospect was also very informative for them as Dr Keith Ray the County archaeologist was on hand to give them a full history of what has been found so far, and how they hope to be able to leave the dig open for years to come. This will be a most popular tourist attraction in the town if this can be achieved. Driving around the town, many people waved the minibus on, and there were plenty of people who greeted them in the streets on their walkabout.

The charities market had attracted at least fourteen stallholders, and the judges regretted they were unable to visit every stall. The visit to the Heritage Centre to see displays from all age ranges of young people in the town was also one of the highlights. They marvelled at the young talent we have in this town including the Art Work from John Kyrle School and the planted gardens from children up to the age of eleven years of age.

This year the Royal Hotel had sponsored banners advertising the in bloom organisations of the county including Herefordshire in Bloom and these were dispersed throughout the streets and in strategic points along the route.

The judges remarked on the sculpture near the swimming pool, where Shopmobility had their scooters out for the day. David decided he wanted to have a go on one much to the delight of everyone there. Nursery Road had a wonderful splash of colour once again on one of the main entrances to the town, and the judges were able to renew their friendship with Rita who was on hand to welcome them to the street. They congratulated Rita on her success at winning First Prize in Herefordshire Housings Competition this year.

The townspeople had made a huge effort in making sure the visit went well. Where there was a lack of floral colour there were plenty of balloons and bunting in the town colours – even the refuse bags were orange for the visit!

Following refreshment very kindly laid on by the Royal Hotel, Les and David left Ross to go home and work out the marks for the campaign. Margaret Lucas and her team will have to wait until 11th September in Burton on Trent to find out how they got on, but it is hoped the major community spirit that was abounding in Ross on that day will have gone a long way to get an excellent result for the town and local tourism alike.

Mary Sinclair Powell of Ross-in-Bloom is also Joint Chairman of Herefordshire in Bloom. She told us “The visit to Ross is very important to both the town and the county. All of Herefordshire has worked very hard this year towards in Blooming, and I hope that we all – that is towns, villages and neighbourhoods across Herefordshire – have done well towards boosting the local economy as well as showing that we can all work together and show pride in our local environment. As well as the town, Ross has five neighbourhoods being judged this year, and with luck we will all have succeeded well with the other Herefordshire entries to ensure that the county comes out top on awards as it has done in the past few years.”