North West In Bloom: Rochdale named ‘best small city’ after another gold win

Date published: 23 October 2023

Rochdale has been named the best small city in the north west after a haul of gold awards at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society's North West In Bloom competition.

The category win on Thursday (19 October) follows eight gold awards and a silver gilt for a new entry.

Rochdale won a gold for small city, as well as being named a joint category winner, as well as obtaining golds for the town centre, Denehurst Park (large park), Zen Internet (small retail/commercial/industrial), The Flying Horse Hotel (small accommodation), Kirkholt & Balderstone In Bloom and Spotland & Falinge (both urban community category) and the Healey Dell Tea Rooms (small tourist attraction).

This year’s new entry, Healey, Syke & Shawclough in the urban community category landed a respectable silver gilt, whilst Zen also received an award for best commercial effort. Another superb achievement included the best mosque in the North West for Golden Mosque in Rochdale for their attention to detail and environmental efforts.

Roy Down, chair of Rochdale In Bloom said this year’s accolades were “amazing.”

He said: "This year’s success was built on a lot of cooperation, hours of voluntary work and an amazing partnership with the council.

"It is a credit to Rochdale as a community, how In Bloom gets bigger every year. I would like to pay tribute to the volunteers on the Rochdale in Bloom committee and all the council staff, who do an amazing job all year round.

"I would also like to congratulate our friends in the Middleton, Heywood and Pennines teams, who make our borough blooming marvellous."

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, the council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, said:  “The awards speak for themselves. Our borough has once again been recognised as a force to be reckoned with, thanks to our first-class teams who work alongside dedicated volunteer groups and local businesses as we take pride in where we live.

“My thanks go to every person who has made this a bumper year of awards, proving that by working together, we can achieve great things.”

The regional North West In Bloom competition consists of two judging days in the summer ahead of an autumn awards ceremony.

The first day is a guided tour taking in areas of interest around Rochdale; the second allows for visits to community-based projects – It’s Your Neighbourhood – that include local schools, allotments, health and well-being projects and conservation areas.

The community-led It’s Your Neighbourhood accolades were presented on Tuesday (17 October), and saw scores of awards presented, ranging from Level 1 Establishing through to the maximum Level 5 Outstanding.

 

Read more: North West In Bloom: Castleton retains Level 5 Outstanding for community It's Your Neighbourhood entriesPublished: 18 October 2023

 

Level 5 Outstanding

• Bamford Chapel and Norden URC
• Broad Lane Community Woodland
• Castleton War Memorial and Village Green
• Edenfield Road Alley Gate
• Friends of Bamford Community Garden
• Friends of Caldershaw Green
• Golden Mosque
• HMP Buckley Hall
• Moss Row Community Allotments
• New Pioneers Park and Walking Trail
• Norden Bowling and Social Club
• Pegasus Court Gardens
• Petrus Incredible Edible Allotments
• Q Gardens (also received a special award for five years of outstanding results)
• Roch Valley Outdoor Learning Site
• RAFC Wonderwall
• Rochdale Environmental Action Group
• St John the Baptist Church
• Stoney Hill Community Wildlife Area
• The Friends of Ashworth Valley
• The Friends of Norden Jubilee Park
• The Friends of Taylor Park
• The Growth Project
• Castleton Railway Station
• Springhill Hospice
• The Willows Dementia Hub

 

Level 4 Thriving

• Alice Ingham Court Residents Garden
• Arnold Bagnall Court
• Balderstone Park
• Blooming Marvellous Garden, Kirkholt
• Blue Pits HA, Dunsterville
• Deeplish Community Centre Green Space and Garden
• FOSAC, Syke and Cronkeyshaw Common
• Friends of St Edmund’s Church
• Greenbank Gardens
• Jamia Masjid Bilal
• Kirkholt Millions, Rhodes Ravine
• Little Dell
• Lock 50 Gardening Group
• Mencap at Falinge Park
• Moss Row Housing
• Moss Row Woodlands
• Moss Street Youth Centre
• Mountside View ILS
• Shelfield Cottage Garden
• Spotland Community Centre
• St Mary in the Baum
• Tulip Grove Community Orchard and Wildflower Meadow

 

Level 3 Advancing

• Central Mosque
• Fieldway ILS, Balderstone
• Neeli Mosque
• Newbold Community Growing Together Garden Project
• UKIM Madina Masjid, Newbold

 

Level 2 Improving

• Cutgate Bikes
• Spotland Walking Trail

 

Level 1 Establishing

• Daryl Ilm
• Mere St Improvements
• The Shawclough Triangle