Awards celebrate the ‘blooming’ best

A selection of various winners strike a pose with Deputy Mayor Councillor Alan Godson and Councillor Wera Hobhouse

The borough’s green-fingered maestros have been honoured in style at this year’s annual Borough In Bloom awards at Rochdale Town Hall yesterday. (Wednesday 13 October)

Having had their blooms judged by horticultural experts from Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), finalists had to wait to find out if their colourful entries had impressed the judges enough to be crowned category winners.

With brand new categories added this year, including Best Gated Alleyway, Best Allotment and Best Small Business, the competition unearthed more local horticultural excellence than ever before!

This year’s winners are:

Rochdale Borough Council categories:

Best Household Garden
Winner: T and K Hartley, Millgate, Smallbridge

Second place: Bernice Crawford , Albany Street, Middleton

Third place: Christine Callan, Parsons Drive Middleton

Best Backyard, Balcony or Small Patio
Winner: Mr Knightingale Bentgate, Newhey , Rochdale

Second place: Mr Rogers Shawclough, Rochdale

Third place: Mr T Lockie Milnrow, Rochdale and Mr and Mrs Wilson Falinge, Rochdale

Best Allotment Winner: Mr T Lockie, Halliwell Street Allotments, Milnrow , Rochdale

Best Project by a Community Group
Winner: Springhill Hospice

Second place: Ladybarn Bowling Club

Third place: St Clement’s Church and Heywood Angling Society (joint third place)

Best Gated Alleyway
Winner: Mr and Mrs England, Wild Street, Heywood

Second place: Marie Webb, Hargreaves Street, Rochdale

Third place: Louise Stevens Monkhouse, Durnford Street, Middleton

Best Project by a School
Winner: Bamford Primary School

Second place: Alkrington Primary School

Third place: Moorhouse Primary School and St Michael’s Primary School ( joint third place)

Best Public House
Winner: Dog and Partridge, Bury Road, Rochdale

Second place: The Talbot Head, Shawclough Road, Rochdale

Third place: Old Boar’s Head, Long Street, Middleton


Best Large Business, Retail or Industrial Park Winner: Heywood Distribution Park

Best Small Business
Winner: Newhey Taxis

Second place: Milnrow Library

Best Newcomer
Winner: Janet Lees, Barnfield Street, Heywood

RBH categories:

Best Communal Garden
Rochdale North: Low Bank residents, Wardle Road, Smallbridge

Rochdale South and Pennines: Arnold Bagnall Court residents, Platting Lane, Rochdale

Middleton and Heywood: Bay Tree Lane residents, Bay Tree Lane, Middleton

Championship class: Ryefields residents, Braddocks Close, Hurstead

Best Individual Garden Rochdale North: Ian and Ann Lord , 9, Newark Road, Rochdale

Rochdale South and Pennines: Alma Taylor , 7, Grant street Rochdale

Middleton and Heywood: Angela Hall , 11, Laburnam road Middleton

Championship class: Steven Yates from Wardle

Priority Area Award
Kirkholt: Monica Miller

Falinge: Dee Rehman

Freehold: Mr Guiver and Mrs Shang

Novice Gardener category
Winner: Joan Dale ,12, Laburnam Road, Middleton

Retired Persons category
Winner: Joan Alger ,41, Ravendale Close, Rochdale

Balcony category
Winner: John Hesling, 12 Dalton Close, Rochdale

In addition the following were highly commended by the RBH judges : Mrs Robinson from 8 Thirlmere road, Mr and Mrs Wilson from Falinge, Muriel Clegg from 19 Hornet Close , Springfield Close residents, Derrick Walker Court residents Manchester Road Sudden, Ravendale Close residents in Rochdale.

Winners of the council categories received a Borough In Bloom-engraved glass vase, £50 voucher to redeem at Bowlee Garden Nursery in Middleton and a winners’ certificate. Second and third placed category entrants each received a Bowlee Nursery voucher worth £30 and £20 respectively and a certificate.

RBH Communal Winners received the annual in bloom trophies and individual winners received an engraved glass trophy, vouchers and certificates were awarded to winners and highly commended entries.

Presenting the awards, Deputy Mayor Councillor Alan Godson, said: “This is our moment to celebrate those who are passionate about bringing some colour to the borough through horticultural excellence and making their communities sparkle. I’m very proud to present them with their awards today.”

Presenting the RBH awards, Managing Director Gareth Swarbrick, said: “This competition is a great opportunity for us to offer recognition to tenants whose hard work helps to create lovely gardens that are not only a pleasure for the gardener themselves, their family and their neighbours but which also make a real difference to the overall look of the estates that we manage on behalf of the Council. You should all be very proud of what you are achieving.”

Councillor David Clayton, Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure at Rochdale Borough Council, added: “Those who enter Borough In Bloom contribute a great deal to our mission to make the borough a cleaner, greener place for people to live, work and visit. We have such remarkable talent in this borough, and I’m delighted this competition continues to applaud their efforts.”

Borough in Bloom is a Rochdale Borough Council competition supported by RBH, Borough In Bloom celebrates the horticultural efforts and achievements by local people, schools and businesses which contribute to making the borough a cleaner, greener place for people to live, work and visit.