Winners of the ‘Alleyways in Bloom’ competition named

The residents of Shaftesbury Avenue in Smithy Bridge have been named the winners of the annual ‘Alleyways in Bloom’ competition.

The neighbours entered the competition for the first time this year after having the gates installed in December 2017.

The judges were impressed with the communal area residents had created.

Resident Richard Simpson said the neighbours were thrilled to have won and that they feel much safer since the gates have been installed.

The work has allowed them to enjoy having a chat and a cup of tea together while admiring the flowers. They are already planning further enhancements to the alley and will use their prize, a £50 Bowlee Garden Centre voucher, to buy more plants.  

The runner up prize of a £25 Bowlee Garden Centre voucher went to residents of Edenfield Road in Norden.

 

 

The judges were impressed with the work that residents Bernice Clark and Sue Thomas had undertaken since winning the competition last year.

The alleyway is a labour of love for Bernice and Sue who have been maintaining their alleyway for ten years. The area is full of potted plants with a small section for wild plants and a small pond.

Councillor Janet Emsley, Rochdale Borough Council’s cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture, said: “The alleygating scheme’s main purpose is to reduce burglary and antisocial behaviour, but our winners have shown that they can be much more than that.

“We are so pleased to see residents coming together to create lovely spaces for the community to enjoy together.”

The competition is run annually by Rochdale Borough Council’s burglary reduction scheme, which aims to reduce the opportunity for burglary, antisocial behaviour, malicious fires and fly-tipping by installing lockable steel gates at both ends of back alleyways, which have experienced or are at risk of crime.