Bourne in bloom

 

Photo courtesy Jonathan Smith
Mrs Nelly Jacobs, the Mayor, Councillor Judy Smith, and town centre co-ordinator
Ivan Fuller, with the winning scrolls and certificate in 2008.

 

Voluntary work by many people, including schoolchildren, has won Bourne awards for eleven successive years in the medium-sized town category of the East Midlands in Bloom competition with silver gilt awards from 2008-2015 and a silver award in 2016.

The industrious efforts of the Bourne in Bloom committee, originally headed by Nelly Jacobs, clerk to Bourne Town Council, and its many helpers, were a tangible sign of the enthusiasm needed to make the town an attractive place not only for those who live here but also for visitors.

The annual event is community based and designed to encourage cleaner, smarter and more attractive town centres in the region. There are several sections and Bourne falls into the Towns category, those with a population of between 6,000 and 12,000, based on the last electoral register.

The judges usually give a month’s notice of their arrival and tour the town looking out for floral displays, attractive and colourful gardens and parks and so it is important for everyone to give special attention to those places under their control whether it is merely the lawn and herbaceous borders or a public open space. Pupils from local schools, the scouts and police cadets all help in keeping the streets and public places clear of litter.


An indication of what is needed was given by one of the judges, Doug Stacey, when he spoke to the town council in 2009. “The competition originated in France and has been running for 45 years”, he said. “It leads to cleaner communities and encourages people to work together and take pride in their town.”

The competition carries with it an involvement of the people and the chance to make our streets attractive throughout the summer months, not just for the judges but also for the many visitors who arrive here with Bourne either as a destination or merely passing through. The work carried out in successive years is the perfect example of how a small market town should look at this time of the year and we should remember that if people like what they see then they will come again.


THE AWARDS


* 2006: The town collected a silver award after scoring 121 points out of a possible 200. Oakham in Rutland took top place with the gold award in the event which attracted dozens of entries from across the region. A special award was also made by the judges to the Westfield Primary School for its outstanding allotment garden and pond.

* 2007: The town won a second silver award with 143 points, 22 more than the previous year with a judges’ award for nature conservation work in Bourne Wood in co-operation with the Friends of Bourne Wood.

* 2008: Bourne was awarded 151 points, its highest ever, to win a silver gilt Award. The judges were particularly impressed by the colourful planters around the town centre and surrounding streets and a special award was made to the gardeners at the council's allotments in South Fen. Work at the Willoughby School was also praised by the judges while Westfield Primary School won a silver gilt award after entering in the new schools category.

*2009: The town achieved 154 points and collected another silver gilt award together with two other prizes, a judges’ honour for the sensitive management of Bourne Wood and another for the least littered environment. Advice for the future from the judges at the award ceremony at Cleethorpes was to include larger floral displays and the organising committee is hoping that sponsors will come forward to finance additional planting for future entries.

 

*2010: Another silver gilt award and the highest number of points so far, 162, and winner of its category. Other successes this year included a judges' award for the Robert Manning College Gardening Club for the attractive and innovative planting of the floral boat in South Street and the Best School Garden award which went to the Westfield Primary School. Special mention was also made of the management of Bourne Wood and the work of Friends of Bourne Wood together with the black and gold street furniture and the continuing involvement of schools and community.

 

* 2011 A fourth silver gilt award for Bourne which again collected 162 points out of a possible 200, just seven points short of the coveted gold. The Wellhead Gardens were given a special award by the judges who were also impressed by the War Memorial Gardens, the flowering baskets on the protective metal barriers in the town centre and Bourne Wood. They also suggested that it would be beneficial if more traders provided hanging baskets outside their premises to improve the appearance of the town centre in the future.

 

* 2012 A fifth silver gilt award for Bourne which again collected 162 points out of a possible 200, just seven points short of the coveted gold, and the Willoughby School in South Road received a special judges' award. Nelly Jacobs, pictured left with the presentation scroll, said afterwards: "We don't do as much as some towns but what we do is good quality and the judges did notice an increased input from traders which was most helpful. There has also been a lot more community involvement this this year and that proved to be beneficial."

Photograph courtesy The Local newspaper


* 2013: A sixth silver gilt award for Bourne despite dropping nine points on last year's entry, collecting 153 out of a possible 200. A special judges' award was also given to the new community orchard at Bourne Wood and there were special mentions for the Jubilee Meadow adjoining the Wellhead Gardens and landscaping work at Elsea Park although it was felt that there were too few floral displays in the town centre and street furniture such as benches and railings could be improved. "We do need more involvement from local businesses but all of the positives from this year's entry will encourage us next year", said Mrs Jacobs.

 

* 2014: A seventh silver gilt award for Bourne and an increase in points on last year's entry, collecting 160 out of a possible 200. The judges praised the heavy involvement of businesses, traders and the community, and a special judges' award was given to sensory garden that has been established at the Willoughby School in South Road which was described as being "truly exceptional" for use by disabled children. "We are happy with the increase in points although we would have liked to have been placed a little higher", said Mrs Jacobs. "But we have only a small budget for entering the competition and therefore depend on the goodwill of the entire town but, nevertheless, we hope to build on our excellent community involvement next year."

 

* 2015: Bourne won another silver gilt award, narrowly missing the coveted gold by just a few points. The town was awarded a total of 164 points out of a possible 200 but was narrowly beaten to the gold by Immingham with 183 points. Bourne was also given a special judge’s award for what was described as “beautifully planted flower bed in South Street providing all year round interest”. As in previous years, much of the work to keep the town looking good was the work of volunteers under the direction of the clerk to town council, Mrs Nelly Jacobs, who has now retired although Bourne will still be back next year in the hope of winning gold.

 

2016: The town’s result disappointingly slipped to a silver award this year and the only bright spot appears to have been a judges’ award to Jim and Brenda Jones of the Civic Society for their work in maintaining Baldock’s Mill, home of the Heritage Centre. Ian Sismey, clerk to the town council which organises the event in Bourne, was clearly disappointed but felt that a silver award did not reflect the efforts by the community that had been put into the event during the year. "Nevertheless", he said, "we hope more people will become involved next year and that we can have a larger committee and more resources through sponsorship from local businesses."

 

To win the gold award. Bourne would need a total of 170-200 points which is classed as outstanding and until now, the town has been steadily increasing its rating each year to within a few points away from gold. The 2016 was therefore a major setback.

 

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE AWARDS

The successes have been a particularly commendable effort because 2006 was Bourne's first entry in thirty years and one that reflected the hard work of the clerk to the town council, Mrs Nelly Jacobs, who put in so much effort behind the scenes. "Her enthusiasm for the project shone”, said Ivan Fuller, the town centre manager, “and her commitment was exceptional.” Ivan Fuller and Nelly Jacobs are pictured here with one of the town centre floral decorations that year.

Photo courtesy The Local newspaper

Photographed in 2008

The flowed beds at the end of Coggles Causeway are one of the main features in the town's annual entry, providing a splash of colour for visitors entering the town along South Road, the main A15 from the south. The stone-built raised beds are planted each spring in readiness for the judging, here in the summer of 2008 with African marigolds, tagetes and agertarum, while people living in the vicinity keep an eye on their progress and remove any weeds as they appear. Further along the road towards the town centre, the Victorian iron palisade railings alongside the Bourne Eau provide a perfect support for the planters full of geraniums and petunias.

South Street in 2008

South Street in 2008

Photographed in June 2010
Civic Society member Jim Jones (right) with volunteer Ben Harris, clearing the algae and other weeds from the Bourne Eau in South Street in 2010.

THE COMPETITION IN 2009

Photographed in June 2009

A new feature was added in South Street in readiness for the arrival of the judges for the competition in 2009 on a patch of lawn between the Darby and Joan Club and the Bourne Eau which until now has been occupied only by a public seat. The centrepiece was a 14 foot Enterprise sailing dinghy that was presented by Tony Everitt, aged 65, quartermaster of the 1st Bourne Scout Group, who teaches the lads sailing at the Whitewater Reservoir near Stamford. “The boat is about fifty years old and made of wood and so it is rather past its prime for our purposes”, he explained, “but it is perfect in its new role as the centrepiece of a floral display.”
Tony, who has been associated with the scout movement for almost half a century, arranged for the craft to be delivered to its new site and organised the soil while Year 7 pupils from the gardening club at the Robert Manning College brought along plants they had grown themselves. Other volunteers from the Bourne in Bloom committee were there to lend a hand while the future maintenance and watering will be undertaken by the Learning Disability Group. This project has not only added a colourful feature to the street scene but has also demonstrated the value of volunteers and groups working together for the good of the community which will also have long term effects because the boat is to remain in situ for the future and will be replanted with seasonal flowers throughout the year.
Other new features included a large planter and hanging baskets on the west side of the town centre and more tubs outside the town hall (below).

Photographed in July 2012

Photographed in July 2009

Photographed in July 2009

Photographed in July 2010

Photographed in August 2014

An innovation for the competition in 2014 was a selection of four sculptures created by pupils at Bourne Academy which were put on display on the roundabout in West Road (above). Unfortunately, these unusual artistic creations did not please everyone and one of them (on the right) disappeared overnight but after a police appeal it was returned, having been found by a passing cyclist abandoned in a nearby ditch and restored to its rightful place in the display. The idea was repeated in 2015 when two sculptures created by pupils at the school were put on display on the roundabout (below) but these two works did not receive the same public acclaim.

Photographed in June 2015
Photographed in August 2015

Containers full of seasonal flowers sponsored by local businesses have been placed at vantage points on all entrance roads into the town such as here in North Street to supplement the annual entry in the competition.

Photographed in August 2015

The bus station has been greatly improved over the years, the latest additions being floral displays to boost Bourne’s chances in the Bourne in Bloom competition.

 

Photograph courtesy Nelly Jacobs

JUDGING FOR THE 2009 COMPETITION

by Nelly Jacobs
Bourne in Bloom co-ordinator

Unfortunately only one judge was present; the second one, Andy Crofts, was forced to send his apologies for health reasons. Judging began at 10.15 am [on Thursday 16th July] with a short walk through the War Memorial gardens, the town centre and into the weekly market which was being held that day. We then continued the tour by car and visited various locations including the Abbey CE Primary School, the industrial estate, including Cherryholt Square, the town council allotments in South Fen Road, the Willoughby School, the cemetery, Elsea Park estate and meadow and finally the town's biggest asset, Bourne Wood. Throughout the tour Mel appeared to be very impressed with the cleanliness of the town and the
low number of empty shops. He also commented on the high figures for recycling waste for the area and community involvement shown to make Bourne a nicer place to live and work in.
We as committee members felt very proud of the visual improvements in the town since its first entry into this particular competition in 2006 and we know that Mel Henley also saw the difference as he was part of the judging
team in 2006. The cleanliness of the town was a credit to our community cleaner and support staff from South Kesteven District Council and of course the volunteers from the town's scouts, police cadets and Robert Manning College and many other individuals who gave up their time to do some litter picking, weeding or other last minute jobs. A big thank you to everyone who helped in any way possible throughout the year.
The results of this competition will be announced on 9th September during an awards ceremony in Cleethorpes. Please remember: just because this year's judging is over does not mean that we can sit back and wait for next spring to continue with the project. This is supposed to be an all year round exercise and has to be proven within the portfolio as such. Planters for the winter months are being planned, the gardening club at the Robert Manning College is looking forward to filling the new boat feature in the autumn ready for the next season. In the meantime, please report any tree planting or other improvements within the town to a member of the Bourne in Bloom Committee or the town council and we shall endeavour to include this information in next year's entry. Hopefully you will be able to provide us with digital photographs and a short statement about the exercise but if you do not have the equipment let us know and we shall come out to take photographs.
Once again, many thanks to the residents, organisations and businesses in Bourne for continuing to strive towards a much improved environment.

In the picture (left to right): Ivan Fuller, Jim Jones, Mel Henley (judge for East Midlands
in Bloom) and Brenda Jones.

JUDGING FOR THE 2010 COMPETITION

by Nelly Jacobs
Bourne in Bloom co-ordinator

Members of the Bourne in Bloom Committee attended the awards presentation ceremony at the Guildhall, Northampton, on 15 September 2010.
Bourne has yet again achieved a silver gilt award and for the first time since 2006 Bourne was the winner of its category. The 162 points awarded are just eight points away from a gold award.
The judges commented again about the cleanliness of the town and considered the floral displays in the War Memorial gardens, baskets, towers, troughs and tubs around the town as well as the planted boat to be very good. They also commented that more retailers/businesses especially along the main street should be encouraged to contribute florally to the town’s entry; this might help to gain the top award.
Further positive comments were received about the landscaping at the Roman Bank industrial estate, the residential gardens located in Elsea Park which were considered to be extremely well designed. Planting, the landscaping and composting scheme in the town cemetery also received praise. They were very impressed with the management at Bourne Wood and the supporting Friends group. Black and gold street furniture complemented the already attractive street scene. Recycling statistics were applauded and so were the portfolio and the persistent press coverage promoting the competition. Last but not least the good schools and community involvement evidenced throughout the tour received a special mention.
The Robert Manning College Gardening Club received a Judges Award  for the attractive and innovative planting of the floral boat in South Street and Westfield Primary School managed to win the Best School Garden competition. This competition is judged completely independent from the town’s entry but a “Bloom” entry is only allowed to submit one school for this competition. Thirty schools in total were hoping to take home the plaque from this competition.
Congratulations and thanks from Bourne Town Council and the Bourne in Bloom committee go out to everybody who has been involved in this year’s efforts to make our town a nicer place.

JUDGING FOR THE 2011 COMPETITION

by Nelly Jacobs
Bourne in Bloom co-ordinator

Litter pickers were out in force ahead of the arrival of the judges on Sunday and Monday mornings and volunteers from the Carlsberg depot in Spalding Road, Bourne, also helped transform the overgrown area in Church Walk the previous Saturday.
Thanks to the last-minute efforts of the litter pickers and the Carlsberg workers, the town really did look very clean. This was definitely picked up on by the judges and the environmental achievements at the Wellhead Gardens and in Bourne Wood were also noticed. Generally speaking I think the visit went very well but I don’t know whether we have done enough to improve on our silver gilt award from last year. We will just have to wait and see but it would be nice to have done better and I will be keeping my fingers crossed.

Photograph courtesy The Local newspaper


In the picture (left to right): Ivan Fuller,  Richard Stephen and Richard Adams  (judges for East Midlands in Bloom), Brenda Jones, Nelly Jacobs and Jim Jones.

JUDGING FOR THE 2012 COMPETITION

Photograph courtesy The Local newspaper

The two judges were given a tour of the town on Tuesday 10th July by members of the Bourne in Bloom committee. Co-ordinator Mrs Nelly Jacobs, who is also clerk to the town council, said afterwards that she was pleased with how the day had gone and was hopeful of improving on last year’s silver gilt award. "There has been a real effort in the town centre by shopkeepers and our volunteers to get the streets looking good", she said. “Traders have really come on board this year and some shops have even used alcoves in their entrances to position floral containers." The previous day, a litter pick was organised to clean up the town with many volunteers joining in including the 1st Bourne Scouts and several town councillors while on Tuesday morning, pupils from Bourne Academy put in one final effort to tidy up the streets.

In the picture: Judges Richard Adams and David Bramwell with Ivan Fuller (town centre manager), Jim and Brenda  Jones (Bourne Civic Society) and Nelly Jacobs.

 

Photographed in 2008

A bonus for entering the 2006 competition was the acquisition of a replica of a famous English landmark which will remain on display in Bourne for as long as it lasts. The sculpture measuring 14 feet across and six feet high is a scale copy of the Angel of the North by Antony Gormley which is located on a hill at Gateshead near Newcastle where it has been greeting visitors for almost ten years and has become an icon for the north east. It was made from wheat reed and foam by Sarah Walton, a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art who previously worked as an assistant to Mr Gormley, and was one of eight similar models used in the British Food Fortnight Exhibition in October 2007 and offered to all parishes which participated in the Britain in Bloom competition on a first come first served basis. Mrs Nelly Jacobs, clerk to the town council, acted swiftly by applying within minutes and was given first choice for the replica which was erected in the new section of the town cemetery in South Road in January 2008 and is expected to last around one year in outdoor conditions.

REVISED SEPTEMBER 2016

See also

Nelly Jacobs     The Bourne in Bloom logo

When Bourne was clean and smart

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