As Bradley Stoke in Bloom (BSiB) is now in its 12th year, I think we can say that our annual front garden competition is a firm fixture in the town events and this year the prize giving was led by our mayor, Natalie Field.
Although the judging criteria have changed little since the beginning, the introduction in 2021 of a ‘Green Credentials’ column to the score sheets certainly seemed to shake things up with several previous winners no longer appearing in the top three. The judging is fairly weather dependent but is generally held in mid-late July by a card-carrying, clipboard-brandishing crew.
We also have a Facebook Favourite competition which is given to the garden with the most public ‘like’s on Facebook. You can enter your own front garden, or you can nominate a friend or neighbour as long as the garden is in Bradley Stoke and you are not on the BSiB committee or related to a BSiB committee member. It’s a fun, friendly, community competition that anyone can enter.
I’d just like to say thank you to Bradley Stoke Town Council who started the group and support us all the way, to all our judges, to everyone that donated prizes and to Dan and Ben at Timpsons who not only still seem to charge us little more than they did in 2013 but who also never tell anyone in advance who the winners are.
We had a fabulous array of prizes to be won. Richard at Almondsbury Garden Centre always provides us with many generous vouchers, Emma at The Hollow Tree also generously provided two vouchers for a drink and a meal for two, Emily at the Aztec Hotel & Spa provided vouchers for tea for two and another for a spa day for two. We also have the main shields which are returned after a year, and to keep engraved glass trophies and engraved medals and framed certificates for all.
At the Jubilee Centre garden on one of the last warm summer evenings, we had a delightful prize giving event, which was attended by many of the Bradley Stoke councillors and staff, the team from Bradley Stoke Radio as well as our contestants and their family and friends.
The 2024 winners included Jitesh Mistry, Paul and Judith Johnson, and Peter Box for the Best Large Garden category. Meanwhile, Lewis Warnes, Maureen Hopkins and Evenlyn Coates, and Gokul Nayar and Aurgharupa Majumdar for the Best Small Garden Category. The Facebook Favourite award went to Peter Box, and the Greenest Garden title was given to Paul and Judith Johnson.
Lewis has now come first for three years in a row. And although Jitesh is often in the top three, this was his first time scooping gold but congratulations to everyone, we hope you enjoy being part of this as much as we do.
By Sara Messenger, Bradley Stoke in Bloom