The beautiful city of Bath, inaugural winner of Britain in Bloom, has once again been crowned champion in the 60th anniversary year of The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) nationwide gardening competition.
52 finalists from across the UK, who were nominated to the Finals after impressing judges in their regional and national competitions, competed to be winner in one of 11 categories, as well as for an RHS award. The overall winner was announced on The One Show (BBC One, 7pm) and was awarded to Bath in Bloom, who achieved a gold medal in the Small City category and who first won the competition in its maiden year sixty years ago.
Beyond the delightful gardens and seasonal displays – including flower beds featuring 3D carpet bed bees amongst a sea of marigolds – the judges were struck by Bath’s strong emphasis on community and environment. The group showed excellent engagement with local schools, facilitating horticultural activities from planting trees to creating raised beds for edibles, as well as living roofs, bug hotels and dipping ponds. One project even involved growing wheat and milling it to produce flour before baking bread, providing pupils with first-hand experience of the plot-to-plate journey.
The group also works with It’s Your Neighbourhood groups such as More Trees for BANES, which recognises the importance of using locally harvested seeds. 11,000 trees have been planted since the project’s inception in 2008, with local school children growing on saplings in raised beds on their school grounds.
Other highlights noted by the judges were the Parade Gardens and the Bath Women’s Institute Garden, with its bench for quiet contemplation and plenty of herbs which are there to be harvested by all. The judges noted the location’s tranquillity, adding that it’s a space equally enjoyed by members of the public and the volunteers who tend to it.
Darren Share, Chair of the RHS Britain in Bloom judges, said: “Huge congratulations to all finalists of the 2024 Britain in Bloom competition, especially in this milestone 60th anniversary year. Each group demonstrated the creativity, hard work, and commitment to sustainability that Britain in Bloom has championed for six decades. It is wonderful to see the passion and dedication of these hardworking groups in bringing together communities across the UK and make a lasting impact on our local environments.”
Dame Mary Berry, RHS Ambassador, said: “Bath in Bloom won this competition 60 years ago and have done it again on their 60th anniversary. Bath is such a special place to me – I grew up there. Congratulations!”
First-time entrants Wrexham in Bloom, in Wales, won the City category and a gold medal, delighting judges with a balance of annual and perennial displays, including 20 wildflower meadows throughout the city. The group has shown great community initiative, using the Erlas Walled Garden as a centre for learning for schools and dementia groups, while elsewhere they are developing connections with the local prison.
Other winners included Forres in Bloom, Scotland, who won the Town category and impressed with outstanding bedding displays, planters and baskets throughout the town. The Wee FIBbees (the Wee Forres in Bloom bees) were cited as an outstanding example of education with schools, enabling children to grow vegetables, tender perennials and annuals. Forres demonstrated that biodiversity is at the heart of all their activities, with plans to carry out wildflower turf trials along with the grafting and distribution of heritage apple trees in Mannachie Park and around the community.
Sarah Galvin, RHS Head of National Community Programmes, said: “Bath in Bloom showed not only outstanding horticultural displays but also great dedication to their community and the environment. They were the first ever winners of the competition, 60 years ago, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to crown them champions once again in this special anniversary year. Over the past six decades Britain in Bloom has evolved from what many saw as a rural hanging basket competition to a major socio-environmental campaign that is improving villages, towns and cities across the UK.”
Winners were presented with their trophies at the RHS Britain in Bloom 2024 awards ceremony, held this afternoon in Manchester, with the overall winner unveiled to the public on BBC One’s The One Show.
Full results of the RHS Britain in Bloom 2024 UK Finals can be found at: rhs.org.uk/bloomawardsresults
