News Release - Trafford is North West in Bloom champion

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Trafford is North West in Bloom champion

19 September 2006

Trafford has been crowned North West in Bloom large city in the 2006 Royal Horticultural Society awards.

At a prestigious ceremony in front of over 470 guests, council and community representatives from Trafford received 12 prestigious awards, including the overall title of best large city/metropolitan borough.

Trafford received two awards in the Discretionary section - a Community Housing Award for Sapling Grove, and a further bio diversity award for the Stamford Brook development by the National Trust and Redrow Homes.

Seven RHS neighbourhood awards were given to: Sapling Grove Community Housing (outstanding certificate) and Ormeston Lodge Community Housing (merit certificate) in the small neighbourhood category; Ormeston Lodge, Partington, Old Trafford, Victoria Park and Lostock Park (merit certificates) in the large neighbourhood category; and Firswood and Longford in the neighbourhood category.

Altrincham in Bloom came first runner up in the best large town category, beating off stiff competition to hold this spot for the second year.

"This year there was even more emphasis on involving local communities and partners," said Executive Cllr Mrs June Reilly. "Thanks to everyone's hard work and commitment, this award is well deserved."

The 2006 Trafford in Bloom campaign included:

- Improvements to the largest wildflower meadow in an urban park in Hullard Park, Old Trafford, which also has tactile maps in Braille for blind visitors

- Local volunteers continuing to improve Broomwood Woods, supporting the regular work by members of G-Force Youth Club

- Improvements to Lostock Park, with volunteers and Lostock College students

- A new bird feeding area at Victoria Park and bird box making workshops for local children

- More Trafford Action for Nature Awards for local people and groups who create areas for wildlife and nature, including Tyntesfield Primary and Davyhulme Infants Schools, which both won gold awards

- Three new community gardens established in Partington, including a community garden and plant swop scheme for the Methodist Church, a sensory garden for the Healthy Living Centre and an outdoor 'room' for Partington Children's Centre

- Manchester United becoming the first football club to enter the Index of Corporate Environmental Engagement, put together by Business in the Environment

- Altrincham in Bloom conducting a big broom event to tidy up Altrincham Town Centre

- The council proposing, with partners, a network of designated local nature reserves across the borough

- The efforts of local allotment holders are celebrated in an annual awards scheme, with prize-giving in September.

- Young offenders have been doing their bit, thinning out trees in the woodland plantations at Trafford Ecology Park also at Coroner's Wood, near Partington, to allow more light to reach the woodland floor.

- Fourteen parks have won the Green Flag award and the council's expert gardeners won a gold award for their garden at the Tatton RHS Flower Show.

"These are major achievements and show the range of active support and enthusiasm for improving our local environment," added Executive Cllr Reilly. "It shows exactly what we can achieve by working with our partners and local communities."