Green-fingered residents are hopeful their town and villages will come out blooming at prestigious award ceremonies in October.
Colne, Trawden and Laneshaw Bridge have all entered this year’s North West In Bloom contest, with Colne also being nominated for the “Large Town” category in the prestigious Britain in Bloom UK finals. The final visit for Britain in Bloom was made on Monday, with judges being taken on a three hour tour.
Members of each group are now left waiting with bated breath for the final outcome. North West in Bloom results will be announced in Southport, while Britain in Bloom results will be given at an event in Cleethorpes.
Chair of Colne in Bloom Coun. Dorothy Lord said: “It has gone really well. We showed them the best of what we had, and we could have shown them a lot more.
“The judges don’t give a lot away, but we felt they were impressed, so we will see.
“We are up against 10 other towns in our category, including ones in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the Channel Islands, so it is tough.”
And RHS Britain in Bloom judge Roger Burnett said: “It’s always such a huge pleasure meeting Bloom volunteers and seeing the great work they’ve done.
“They are passionate people who work tirelessly, come rain or shine, to improve their local areas. The only regret I have about visiting these wonderful places is that we can’t stay for longer.”
To tie in with Britain in Bloom’s theme of “edible Britain”, staff at La Dolce Vita Deli, in Albert Road, have been getting in the spirit by growing Italian herbs. They have also commissioned Colne soap-maker Linda Clough of Purasoaps to make some Italian-inspired soaps.
The deli’s Sarah Lee said: “We’re happy to do our bit to help the Colne in Bloom team’s fantastic efforts with our little Italian garden.”
The Colne in Bloom team would like to thank sponsors Pendle Council, XLCR Vehicle Management Ltd, Barnfield Construction, Lloyd Colne, Simpsons Skoda and Boundary Mill.