LONG SUTTON IN BLOOM 2007

Long Sutton in Bloom earned a well-deserved Silver Gilt medal coming a very close joint second in the East Midlands in Bloom competition. Next year they're going for gold.

Have you ever wondered where all the hanging baskets and tubs of flowers that decorate Long Sutton every year come from, or then again perhaps you have never given it a thought or not even noticed them! They seem to appear overnight in and around the town centre during the summer months as if by magic, however, the ‘magic’ is the result of a lot of hard work by a group of volunteers known as ‘Long Sutton in Bloom’ who care about the town and wish to make it attractive to both residents and visitors.

Now in our 17th year we are supported by the PCC, local businesses and organisations and also private individuals, who all help us with their sponsorship. We are past winners of ‘East Midlands in Bloom’ and ‘Best Kept Small Town’ and finalists of ‘Britain in Bloom’. Last year we won for the town our first Silver Gilt 2005-2006 award just 3 points away from the winning Gold award...

We have several long term projects, the large bed at Pop Bottle Bridge, the ‘rest area’ on London Road, Annies patch at Springfield gardens, also the planting round the War Memorial, the town pump, fire station, Park Road, Gedney Road and the spring bulbs in the Church Yard. A group of our members recently pruned the roses in the Church Yard and set the large tubs at the new library and registry office.

There is also our Summer Garden Walk, held on the last Sunday in June.

We start our planning early in the New Year and decide the plants to use, and colours etc. Through the generosity of a local farmer we have the use of a poly tunnel where we prepare and rear all our plants. The tiny plug plants are bought and then the real work starts, all need to be potted on and nurtured. Pricking out 1,000 tiny plants in a morning session, over 5,000 in total. Eventually the baskets and tubs are planted up and allowed to develop before being placed in the town centre.

We are a ‘mixed bunch’ and a happy crew and get on well together - it is not all work! We have an annual outing and a summer and Christmas social evening.  Watch this space for further details.

You do not have to be an expert gardener, none of us claim to be that, you do not even have to like flowers but it does help! If you do, what better way of putting something back into our community, doing something that you enjoy. Age is no barrier, you can do as much or as little as you want, when you want.

 We do need MORE VOLUNTEERS how about it?

Even if you do not want to be a member of the “In Bloom Group” you can help by making others aware we need to gain just a few more points than last year to be the best small town in the East Midlands.  For more information contact the Market House Long Sutton.