Town is set to blossom
Thousands of flowers will be planted in Newark as the town re-enters the Britain In Bloom competition.
Newark Town Council has decided to take part after an absence of 11 years.
It is planting geraniums, petunias, salvias and impatiens (busy lizzies) in mangers and barrels around the town.
They will be along the riverside area, the parish church grounds, Newark Cemetery and near the Robin Hood Hotel.
The council’s environmental services manager, Mr James Radley, said the planting of around 5,000 bedding plants and seedlings would start next week.
Newark will be up against nine other East Midlands towns in the large town category of Britain In Bloom. They include Belper, Ilkeston, Melton Mowbray and Spalding.
The competition, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, will be judged in July on four main themes — horticultural excellence, community involvement, environmental friendliness and sustainability.
The winners from each category go into the Britain In Bloom national finals against the winners from 11 other regions, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The chairman of the town council’s environment and leisure committee, Mrs Marika Tribe, said Newark stayed out of the competition for so long because it involved a lot of preparation work and needed community support.
Mr Radley said: “The town council is trying to raise its profile.
“It’s time we entered the competition again. It has slipped to the bottom of the list. This year they feel they can put a bit of effort into it.”
Community groups or individuals that would like to be involved with the East Midlands In Bloom competition are invited to a presentation and discussion at Newark Town Hall at 2pm on June 2.
l The town council is inviting businesses to buy colourful floral displays in hanging baskets and tubs as part of a separate Newark In Bloom scheme, which was launched by Mrs Tribe on Monday.
Mrs Tribe said this year they wanted the support of the larger high street stores and the banks in the town.
The council has ordered more than 150 self-watering tubs and baskets. They store water in reservoirs in the base that is gradually released.
Mr Radley said the containers would reduce the council’s watering and maintenance costs because they would need topping up only once or twice a week.