Warwick blooms as shops prepare to reopen

Warwick’s town centre has been filled with more than 200 flowering hanging baskets, containers and tubs in the past week as part of Warwick in Bloom.

The displays have been sponsored by local residents and businesses to ensure that the town looks its brightest as non-essential shops prepare to open on Monday June 15.

Support for Warwick in Bloom’s summer displays has grown throughout the community and this year’s total represents the largest total of blooms ever placed throughout the town centre.

With more than 200 displays, the planting initiative has more than doubled its scale in the past five years.

This year, some of Warwick’s charitable organisations have supported the planting, with Warwick Court Leet, Warwick Lions Club, and the Rotary Club of Warwick all sponsoring hanging baskets to decorate The Lord Leycester Hospital on behalf of its retired service personnel residents.

Cllr Richard Eddy, chair of Community & Culture at Warwick Town Council, said: “This year, the support from the community has been unprecedented in terms of sponsoring this incredible number of baskets – the Warwick spirit is alive and well, even during these times.

"We’re also delighted that the installation of the largest ever Warwick in Bloom display has coincided with the expected move to enable all non-essential shops to re-open from Monday.

"The flowers and planting really brightens the town, delights the eye, and makes it a welcoming environment for all residents, whether taking a stroll through the town centre or supporting our local retailers.”

In addition to the town hanging baskets and containers, the annual Warwick in Bloom competition is also still open for residents and businesses to submit their entries to.

This year, the competition has moved to an email-based entry and judging format to enable the annual contest to proceed while observing social distancing under current guidelines.

Warwick in Bloom from Home welcomes entries to anyone or any business with a CV34 postcode.

The categories for the digital format of this year’s event have been simplified into four featured areas; gardens, children’s planting, container planting and community planting.

The competition is open for entries until Friday July 10.

Entrants are invited email photos and/or a video to show their planting and growing achievements to [email protected], along with written background information about their planting.

Further information is also available at www.warwicktowncouncil.gov.uk/warwick-in-bloom and, for anyone who wishes to enter but does not have access to email they can call Warwick Town Council on 01926 411694.