Solihull in Bloom

Solihull annually enters the largest horticultural campaign in Europe Britain in Bloom.

The competition is administered by the Royal Horticultural Society on a national scale. On a regional scale the Heart of England Tourist Board organises and runs the Heart of England in Bloom competition which sees individual streets, villages, towns and cities compete for a bronze, silver or gold standard for their local area. Heart of England in Bloom has 10 entry categories of which Solihull enters the city category (population 150,001+).

The entire community is encouraged to take part and support our entry into the competition too, by tending to their gardens, becoming involved in conservation projects and identifying areas which need improvements for a variety of reasons including litter, weeds or graffiti. There are some fun elements to get involved in which include the annual floral garden and hanging basket competition, with over £1000 of prizes to be won.

With the help of local businesses, schools, community groups and sponsors we are making a real difference to our local neighbourhood. We are keen to hear about projects and work you do in the community to help brighten up and improve Solihull.

This year' regional judging route

Once again the 3.5 hour journey was a great success with lots of wonderful visits along the way. The first stop was Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens which has developed a school programme for visits to the gardens so local children get to learn about growing and different planting processes. Meriden Park was the next stop, to visit the new adventure play ground which is receiving lots of use! Kingsgate House is an example of a garden make over at a block of flats in Chelmsley Wood and how the residents are looking after the new resource.

At Newlands Bishop Farm, the judges were introduced to a centre for people with learning difficulties who learn different gardening skills, animal care and social skills. The Farm has a programme where they have taken on the maintenance of a selection of gardens in the Borough for people who can no longer cut their grass. There is also a site for forest schools, where children learn about outdoor activities and have never been to a forest or woodland and allowed to play out in a camp environment.

The tour then moved on to Solihull where the judges became famous for 5 minutes, being interviewed on radio WM in Malvern Park along with the winning children of the carpet bed competition which had the theme of "International Year of Astronomy." The judges then met the junior park ranger team and the park ranger service, receiving a coffee break before seeing the new refurbished play area. There is a lot to see in one of our six green flag parks!

A short walk, led the party into Solihull Town Centre where they we informed of the new waste and recycling project. They also saw the new willow shopping bags, created to support retailers in the current difficult climate. Widney Manor Station is a fine example of community involvement - the Soroptomists have maintained and improved the station tremendously over the last year or so, introducing floral impact and new planters to the station. We’re looking for residents or groups who might be able to look after other stations in the area so please get in touch if you are interested.

Children at Monkspath Junior and Infant School gave an impressive performance of a minibeast song on our arrival, dressed as different mini beasts. The school was alive with activity from the allotment plot, wildlife area and around the school grounds. It’s a great example of environmental education at work and outdoor classrooms to compliment the activity in school.

Blythe Valley Country Park is a mini oasis in a busy Business Park and our Local Nature Reserve Officer was on hand to show how alive a small piece of grassland is! The judges were extremely impressed with this visit.

The volunteers at Hockley Heath always put on a good show, planting up over 20 hanging baskets and containers along a busy stretch of the Stratford Road. Their hard work and enthusiasm makes this village a welcoming and attractive place for those who live there or pass through. It is always a pleasure to visit the group and the judges are always bowled over by the displays.

Finally, a new village Chadwick End was introduced to the judges along with a new allotment site for Solihull. It’s hidden away from public view but opens up into a remarkable new resource for keen gardeners. It is in Chadwick End that we finished the tour and welcomed the Mayor and community groups to a well earned cuppa.

Our best ever results!

The Mayor attended the Heart of England in Bloom results ceremony at Pershore Abbey in September where Solihull received:

• A Gold award in the city category
• City category winner award
• Overall Heart of England in Bloom winner

It is the first time that we have ever picked up the overall winner in all the time that we have entered the competition, so this is a significant achievement for the Borough.

We also went on to be nominated to represent the region in the national Britain in Bloom competition next year. In 2008 we took part in the nationals for the first time in 10 years and were awarded with a respectable silver gilt award. We are looking forward to welcoming the Royal Horticultural Society judges next year and need lots of help and support from the community to ensure that the Borough looks superb!

There were other awards for the Borough also:

• Merit Award for the Environmental Champion Scheme
• Merit Award for Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
• Distinction Award for Windmill Park Resident Association

All in all we swept the board for awards and achieved out personal best in the regional competition. This is down to the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of the many residents, societies, businesses and our internal departments and contractors who come together as a big team to make a significant difference to the environment of Solihull.

Previous Years

Solihull has entered successfully since 1996, with the following awards:

• First entry 1996 - Highly Commended Town Centre and Tidy Britain Award for litter Management
• 1997 - Highly commended award for whole of the Borough and trophy for community involvement to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens.
• 1998 - Highly commended for the whole of the Borough and The Midland Bank Award for technical innovation for Chelmsley Basket Tree.
• 1999 - National Champions and Green Finger Challenge Award to Mill Lodge School
• 2000 - Entente Floral Gold Award and The Rugby Cement Trophy for community effort given to Hockley Heath Gardening Club.
• 2001 - Regional Winners, Large City Category - Gold Award
• 2002 - Regional Winners, Large City Category - Gold Award
• 2002 - Knowle Knot Garden received highly commended award
• 2003 - Regional Winners
• 2004 - Regional Winners, City Category - Silver Gilt Award
• 2005 - Regional Winners, City Category - Gold Award
• 2006 - Regional Winners, City Category - Gold Award
• 2007 – Regional winner, City category – Gold award and nomination to the National Britain in Bloom competition
• 2008 – Regional winner, City category – Gold award - National winner, City Category and Silver Gilt award

With kind donations via sponsorship, expertise and support from the community, Solihull has been improving year on year.  Take a look at some of the activities and events, which have benefited from Britain In Bloom work.

Contact Details

Should you like further information on Britain in Bloom, the Solihull in Bloom competition or how you can help or make suggestions, please contact the Events and Marketing Team

Tel: 0121 704 6546

Email: solbloom@solihull.gov.uk