Wednesfield hoping to scoop another award in national flower festival competition

Wednesfield In Bloom has its roots back in 2015 and first entered the Heart of England contest the following year.

Now organisers are hoping for a continued run of success after judges came out to inspect the handiwork of dozens of volunteers and community groups, who have worked tirelessly over the last few months to transform the village into a blaze of colour.

A wealth of floral decorations stretch all the way along the High Street to Bentley Bridge retail park, with The Hub and bottom shops at nearby Ashmore Park also included in the festival.

Councillor Phil Bateman, who has been instrumental in co-ordinating the event since the town first got involved, said: “We have to wait until September to get our results, but I think the two judges who visited were very impressed with all the work that has been done over the last few months by our fabulous ‘bloomers’ and community groups.

“The judges went to The Hub in Ashmore Park where we held presentations about all our activities. They looked at all the displays and talked to shopkeepers who took part by creating floral presentations to place outside their stores.

“We also took part in Brass in Bloom at the weekend, where West Midlands Brass gave a free afternoon concert in the amphitheatre between the library and Sainsbury’s in Wednesfield,” he added.

The aim of the Heart of England In Bloom competition is to encourage local communities to improve and care for their environment through imaginative planting of trees, shrubs, flowers, conservation and recycling projects and to eliminate eyesores such as litter, graffiti and vandalism.

Councillor Paul Singh, who lives in Wednesfield and also attended the event, said: “The fabulous floral displays are testament to our wonderful volunteers who have really made Wednesfield shine.

"The camaraderie throughout has been infectious. Wednesfield in Bloom brings about a great community spirit and has always done things that bring our diverse communities together around a common purpose.”