Village makes debut in floral contest

Consett & Stanley Advertiser - week ending 6th March 2004
By Dan Jenklns

Article published on This is the North East website

A Rural community is set to make its first entry in the Northumbria in Bloom competition. The Bloomers action group shelved ambitious plans for a joint entry in the contest, featuring five villages in the Stanley area, after it failed to secure funding for the project.

This week the Bloomers learned they have won a £3,000 grant from the County Durham Foundation. The cash will go on a Northumbria in Bloom entry just for Craghead, near Stanley.

Marie Robson, group secretary, said: "We scaled down our first attempt at Northumbria in Bloom this year by entering the Craghead ward for the Urban Community category. We originally intended to enter the whole of the Green Corridor, which included South Moor, South Stanley, New Kyo and Quaking Houses. We were unsuccessful in gaining support from the Green Corridor Partnership in 2003, but decided to go ahead with our own local ward instead."

The grant will go towards promoting the event and buying plants, tools and materials. The failure of the five villages bid sparked a war of words between the group and a body set up to help regenerate the area, called the Stanley Green Corridor Neighbourhood Regeneration Partnership. The row erupted after the partnership turned down a request for £7,000 from the Bloomers because it had promised all its £50,000 to another project at Stanley School of Technology.

The Northumbria in Bloom bid follows the success of a 'mini bloom' competition held last year. This will take place again in July and is open to all residents in the Craghead area.

This year entrants will be competing for the Brian Ince Memorial Cup, in memory of the Bloomers chairman, who died in February from motor neuron disease. The group is looking for volunteers to help them improve the environment in and around Craghead and to prepare for the Northumbria in Bloom judges' visits in April and July.