We, at Shepperton Matters, have always cham-pioned the Spelthorne in Bloom initiative. Gardens give so much pleasure, brighten our borough and the benefits all round for mental health and well being is well documented.
Shepperton and Laleham did extremely well this year;
The Three Horseshoes won 1st place in the small pubs category.
Laleham won 1st in Best War Memorial.
St Nicholas Church took joint 1st in Best Kept Place of Worship.
In terms of local gardens there were so many wins:
Keith and Carole Gardiner for their con-tainers and front garden in Lindsay Drive; Laurie Burrell for his front garden in Stew-art Avenue (see below) and as best new en-trant; Jeanette Chisnall for her riverside gar-den in Laleham to mention some of the wins.
The Shepperton Village Conservation Group won twice; one prize for the garden on the Renfree Way road and one for the Lords Bridge pocket garden. Thank you for creating some beautiful places in Shepperton!
Last year Covid put paid to many of the usual entries, with only 70 received, no award cere-mony and little fanfare. In contrast this year the committee considered nearly 170 entries and winners were celebrated at Notcutts Gar-den Centre. The discovery of the joys of gar-dening and growing has clearly translated to pride in our gardens and the wish to share the beauty.
The Chairman of the Spelthorne in Bloom Committee, Nick Wood-Dow, said “We were delighted to receive so many beautiful and imaginative entries this year. These wonderful gardens, displays, memorials and allotments brighten our environment and simply make the borough a better place to live. Thank you to everyone who took part, and also the volun-teers and sponsors without whom the competi-tion could not take place.”
Spelthorne in Bloom opens again in spring 2022. The organisers are looking for new members to join the Spelthorne in Bloom Committee so if you are interested in helping to judge entries for this annual competition and encouraging others to brighten up the borough, they would love to hear from you. More spon-sors are also needed, so please get in touch if you are looking for a great way to promote your company whilst supporting a much-loved community initiative.
Please contact Vanessa Surmon for more infor-mation by email at Spelthorne.inbloom@spelthorne.gov.uk or call 01784 444288.