Babbacombe Bay Bloomers spent a morning litter picking the verges of the St Marychurch Bypass, the Hampton woodland and around the shopping Precinct area, helping to support the Keep Britain Tidy ‘Great British Spring Litter Pick’.
The St Marychurch shopkeepers and businesses went all out for the Snowman Trail and window displays.
The proceeds were donated to the Bloomers team to go towards next years Summer bunting and flowers.
We were presented with a Gold Award in the Portman Cup along with the Barry Cruse trophy for the Best Web Site in the South West in Bloom Competition. We were thrilled to win this award for the first time in our history. The South West in Bloom area stretches from Bristol/Bath all the way down to Penzance and over 60 groups enter the competition each year.
Our web site is maintained and kept up to date by Bloom Team member Linda Dennis who takes most of the photos, collates the information and writes the articles. Without the hard work of all the Babbacombe Bay Bloom volunteers there would be no photos or articles to write. It is truly a team effort.
Gary Vine, Director of Aspire Direct Marketing Ltd developed and designed the web site for us and continues to manage it, adding our updated information into the web system. We are very grateful for his help. The web site is informative, colourful and has a good mix of our group activities and news items.
The judges were impressed with our efforts and had an enjoyable visit to the area, commenting that ‘the Precinct is a very inviting place to visit, shop and dine’ and that we were an ‘attractive and inviting area’. They also said the Model Village was outstanding and they were impressed with the work of SWISCo.
We enjoyed the day at Weston Super Mare, it was interesting to hear about the hard work and projects created by other Bloom Groups, giving us fresh inspiration. Torbay as a whole had a very successful day at the ceremony, and we congratulate Brixham, Paignton & Torquay for their awards, their magnificent floral displays and community involvement. Well done all of Torbay.
We won an RHS South West in Bloom Gold Award in the Portman Cup
The Barry Cruse Trophy for the Best Web Site
The Cary Arms was Best Runner Up in the Sean Cregan Trophy (Best Floral Pub)
We were also nominated for:-
The Michael Gahey Trophy (Exceptional community effort)
The Cary Arms, Babbacombe for the Amberol Trophy (Best Business Floral Display)
The results for the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ awards:-
Babbacombe Cliff Railway – Level 4 Thriving
Babbacombe Downs – Level 5 Outstanding
Babbacombe Millennium Copse – Level 5 Outstanding
Babbacombe Rose Garden – Level 5 Outstanding
Babbacombe St Marychurch Precinct – Level 5 Outstanding
Babbacombe Tessier Gardens Friends Group – Level 5 Outstanding
Petit Plot Community Garden – Level 5 Outstanding
The Babbacombe Bloom team have been hard at work over the summer months, maintaining the Precinct Planters, Foxlands Walk and our Rose Garden by deadheading, weeding, watering, lots of TLC, along with working in our Woodland Millenium Copse. We have spent several of our weekly work parties in the Copse clearing overgrown paths, dressing them with wood chip, planting Autumn flowering crocus, daffodils and cyclamen. The Hi-Line team provided us with the wood chippings.
Our watering team of Ian Barnes, Ian Cawley, Linda Dennis, Sue Harwood & Jo Sharlott, have continued to water the floral planters and containers around the local area, helping to keep them welcoming for our visitors and local community. The Waterers can often be spotted out and about early mornings with our Bowser.
We continue to support the community by promoting Babbacombe and St Marychurch as a great place to live, work or visit.
The Babbacombe Bay Bloomers group are in the Portman Cup category this year and up against 7 other towns, including Brixham.
South West in Bloom Judging – The South West in Bloom judges will be visiting Babbacombe on the 27th July. They will be taking a 3-hour tour of the area, to look at the work of the Babbacombe Bloom Team and visit the projects we maintain, our Rose Garden, Millennium Copse, Foxlands Walk and the St Marychurch Precinct. They will meet some of our local business traders, members of the public and community groups. They will also take a walk across the Downs to see the SWISCo planting, our Bug Bed and of course some of the best views in England.
During the afternoon they will be judging the ‘Neighbourhood Group Awards’ where they will have the opportunity of meeting more local groups and individuals.
The Babbacombe Bloom Group has to produce a 30-page document for the South West in Bloom Judges before they come down to visit. This ‘Portfolio’ reflects a year in the life of the Babbacombe Bay Bloomers team. It has to show Horticultural Excellence, Community Participation, Environmental Awareness, Local History, along with our Past and Future plans. It’s an all-year round team effort. We are looking forward to the Judges visit and showing them around the area. Please click here to read our Portfolio
Babbacombe Bay Bloomers spent an afternoon litter picking the verges of the St Marychurch Bypass, the woodland and around the shopping Precinct area, helping to support the Keep Britain Tidy Group ‘Great British Litter Pick’.
Once again thousands of volunteers across the country have come together to offer their time and energy helping to tidy up their communities, keeping areas cleaner and creating a greener environment for all to enjoy.
It has been a busy Spring for the Bloom team. They have been working in the Precinct, Rose Garden and Woodland Copse areas most weeks, when the weather has been kind enough. It has certainly been very cold at times this year.
The Rose Garden has been weeded, hoed, and tidied, along with borders widened and new planting plans implemented. It is always an ongoing project. The group are looking forward to seeing the results this summer. The spring blossom has been a delight and the garden has been full of colourful tulips and heathers.
The Millennium Woodland Copse has also been strimmed and tidied. It has looked beautiful with a magnificent spring display of snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, and bluebells. Blue tits have been nesting and it is now a haven for local wildlife.
Babbacombe Bloomers have organised several local litter picks and joined in with the Babbacombe Residents Association spring litter pick.
The Babbacombe Bloom Group paid for new bunting to be hung in the Precinct, in preparation for the return of the traders, after lockdown restrictions were lifted.
The St Marychurch Precinct and bypass flower planters have all been repainted ready for summer planting.
In Foxlands Walk we have added a beautiful piece of artwork, to help create a welcome entrance from the Chilcote Close end of the lane.
Several new recruits have been a most welcome addition to the group, and we are grateful for their support.
Eleven members of the Babbacombe Bay Bloomers completed a New Year litter picking afternoon in the St Marychurch area.
We worked our way round the verges of the Bypass, the Shopping Precinct, Model Village Car Park, the wild life Copse and the Rose Garden.
Over ten bags of rubbish sacks were filled up as well as retrieving a child’s abandoned scooter from some bushes.
A rewarding afternoon spent helping to keep the area a safe and pleasant environment.
