Burnley 'blooming great' after picking up prestigious Britain in Bloom award

Everything is coming up roses for the thriving town centre as it picked up a gold award in the prestigious Britain in Bloom competition for its colourful and vibrant floral displays.

The planters in the pedestrianised area, which are looked after by Burnley Council parks staff, caught the judges' eyes and received a top award in the town/city centre category.

Charter Walk shopping centre also won a gold award for its colourful displays, and the green-fingered volunteers behind the Budding Burnley community allotment in the centre picked up an outstanding level 5 prize.

The national competition recognises communities of all shapes and sizes with a focus on three main criteria – horticultural excellence, environmental responsibility and community participation.

Councillor Margaret Lishman, the council’s Executive member for health and wellbeing, said: “During the spring and summer the planters dotted around the town centre are a blaze of colour and they really help to make it a more attractive place to visit and shop.

“A lot of hard work by our parks staff goes into planting and looking after the flowers and plants and I know it’s much appreciated by members of the public.”

Burnley Business Improvement District project manager Andrew Dean said: “It’s fantastic for Burnley to be recognised with these Gold awards.

“The BID was delighted to contribute to the overall planting scheme through the wildflowers which are located at various locations across the town centre, and we’re already looking forward to seeing more colour and vibrancy on our streets in 2022 through yet more floral displays.”

The judges reported that: “The overall impression on the visit to Burnley town centre was very positive and created a memorable impression in terms of well-maintained and diverse choice of plants, appropriate to their settings with consistent and excellent attention to detail.

"There was a good mix of perennials, shrubs, trees, areas of wildflower sowings, bedding to the flower beds and seasonal containers and the successful allotment area with dedicated volunteer involvement.”

Britain in Bloom is the UK’s longest running gardening competition. Many groups report wide-ranging social and environmental benefits from taking part.