Judges come out in bloom

Blooming great: Children enjoy the flowers

Britain in Bloom judges are coming to visit the Rochdale borough next week (Thursday 30 July) to inspect the council's green achievements over the past year.

Over the last few weeks, Britain In Bloom judges have been up and down the North West to scrutinise the efforts made by councils and their communities. It’s Rochdale Borough Council’s turn to show them the best the borough has to offer.

Britain in Bloom judges will taking a look at the cleanliness of streets, the quality and maintenance of floral displays, allotments, school grounds and the effort made to encourage people to recycle.

Councillor Irene Davidson, cabinet member for environment and sustainability at Rochdale Borough Council said: “It’d help massively if everyone could give their patch a good tidy up. The judges reward marks for residential gardens and allotments, as well as parks and other public spaces – so a little goes a long way.

“Let’s do our area proud and leave the judges with a good impression of our borough.”

Last year, the council celebrated success after winning Britain In Bloom’s North West In Bloom Heritage Award for best restoration project for improvement works to Packer Spout, the fountain behind Rochdale Town Hall. Last week, Packer Spout Gardens was given Green Flag status – the national benchmark for parks excellence.

For more information about the council’s work in Britain In Bloom, or if you’re interested in finding out about how you can get involved in making the borough cleaner and greener, call Ian Trickett on 01706 922073 or email ian.trickett@rochdale.gov.uk