Garstang gets GOLD in Entente Florale 2008

Garstang has been privileged this year, as the town was invited by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), to represent the United Kingdom in the prestigious International competition, Entente Florale.

This honour follows Garstang's successful bid in 2007 to attain a Gold Award for a second consecutive year in the national Britain in Bloom Awards, in the highly competitive 'Champion of Champions' Category.

Garstang and Plymouth were the only two UK entries into this 12 European country contested event.

A jury made up of professional specialists from all 12 countries visited Garstang in August on their third and final leg of a marathon judging tour. The Jury members come from various backgrounds; architects, horticulturalists, environmetalists and developers.

Illustration - Photo of Returning Home with the Gold! - Photograph by L.Harter

This wide range of professional experience reflects the criteria that is taken into account when the jury mark each entry - a very different set of values from those used to judge Britain in Bloom.

Events such as the Garstang Walking Festival were highlighted in both the promotional DVD and Portfolio that were presented to the jury before their tour.

And now Garstang has finally received the news we were all hoping for - the Town has achieved a GOLD standard in the Judges report which was announced in a prestigious Award Ceremony in Split, Croatia, on Friday 19 September.

Not only did Garstang achieve a Gold, but they had accrued the most points of any of the representatives from their group - with a unanimous decision of Gold from each of the Jury members who had visited!

This is a landmark experience for the jewel in Wyre's crown - it highlights the fabulous community spirit and quality of life that residents feel, and reaps the rewards for all the hard work of the Bloom volunteers, who this year alone have spent more than 2,500 man hours in litter picking, planting, painting and weeding.

Community groups from all across Garstang came together to make this epic visit work - from scouts and brownies, 12 local schools, the WI, church groups and the business community and many, many more too numerous to name all pulled together to achieve this, the highest quality of life accolade we can win in Europe.