Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom

Congratulations to the Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom team who achieved an amazing Gold award at the Britain in Bloom UK Finals 2023.

Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom was one of 44 community gardening groups who secured a place in the finals from the 17 Bloom regions and nations which run individual Bloom competitions during the year. They were also the only group to achieve a Gold award from all the groups nominated from the South East.

In the RHS Britain in Bloom ‘small city’ category Royal Tunbridge Wells faced strong competition from Derry, Oadby and Wigston and Newcastle-Under-Lyme, the overall winner of the competition. A Gold award for Royal Tunbridge Wells is a great achievement and indicates just how good the quality of the entry was.

As well as the Gold, the group were also given a RHS Discretionary Award. These awards were given to finalists that demonstrated excellence in specific areas, Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom were given a Certificate of Achievement for Children and Young People’s Participation.

Councillor Pamela Wilkinson, Cabinet Member for Sport, Leisure and Health said:

What an amazing achievement!  The hard work of the incredible volunteers, Friends groups and Parks team has justifiably been rewarded. We are lucky to have such a dedicated group as we all reap the rewards of having beautifully tended green spaces. A huge thank you and well done to everyone involved.

The awards were made at a ceremony at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Lindley Hall and the winners were announced to the nation on the BBC’s One Show. BBC Gardeners’ World’s Rachel de Thame presented the Gold award to Royal Tunbridge Wells in Bloom and Tayshan Hayden Smith, RHS Ambassador for young people and community gardening and founder of Grow2Know presented the Certificate of Achievement.