News MBC calling businesses to take part in Maidstone Borough in Bloom

As part of the inaugural Maidstone Borough in Bloom, MBC and One Maidstone are encouraging businesses across the borough to take part in the competition.

Maidstone Borough Council launched Borough in Bloom in April inviting anyone who enjoys creating beautiful gardens or pots to enter and is encouraging all businesses – big or small to showcase their pots, planters, gardens and window boxes.

Working with Coolings Garden Centre in Bearsted, MBC opened the competition on 22 April and has seen a variety of entries so far, but it still has two weeks to run as it is open until Monday 5 July.  The Council is calling for as many people as possible to take part to highlight planting in and around the County Town along with businesses to focus on the commercial and community areas.

Andrew Williams, MBC Parks and Open Spaces Manager said:

“We are delighted to see so many people already embracing this competition but we would really like to see more businesses come forward and be part of this community project.  I would really like to encourage them to get their entries in to us as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter how big or small the planted area is – it can be a patch of ground, window box or selection of pots; remember it’s not the winning that counts – its’ the taking part!”

Ilsa Butler, One Maidstone - Business Improvement District Manager adds:

“This is such a nice project for everyone to be part of and it would be great to see as many businesses in and around the area to get on board and showcase what they are doing for Maidstone Borough in Bloom.

“After the past year we have had there has probably never been a more important time for businesses to show off their premises and to show that Maidstone is well and truly open for business.”

The three competition categories are:

Residential Categories

• Best Front Garden

• Best Back Garden
• Best Planted pot trough or hanging basket
• Best vegetable garden or allotment
• Best pollinators garden

Commercial Categories

• Best Commercial garden

• Best Commercial Planted pot trough or hanging basket

Community Categories

• Best Community Environmentally Garden

• Best Community Ornamental Garden

To enter please complete a Coolings Garden Centre entry form through the Maidstone Borough Council website here: https://maidstone.gov.uk/maidstone-borough-in-bloom

Judging will take place during the last two weeks of July and the Awards Ceremony will be held in September.

Any household entering the competition will be given a £5 voucher to spend at Coolings.

A trophy will be awarded for the winner and runner up in each category. All winners in each category will also receive a prize of £25.00 Coolings gift voucher as well as two adult annual tickets for Leeds Castle.

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