We began the year planning – planning our planting, our partnerships, our sponsorships and our routes. After our success at the East Midlands in Bloom Judging awards we knew we would have a difficult job to keep our record of gold awards. We had won the Boston Standard environmental award just before Christmas and were the local chosen champions for the Co-op for three summer months. Funding is always a problem and these awards and our support from the Boston Big Local mean that we can pay for projects and plants for Boston.
We were eager to get the redundant buoys from the Port to artists to work on, but the Arts Council funding to Transported Arts was delayed. However we had plenty to keep us busy. Our long borders in the Park and by the Witham and Police Station needed plenty of work. We had new recruits who were marvellous in clearing and planting, our new ‘planting posse’!
We were lucky to get hundreds of plug plants and brought these on with the help of Willoughby Road Allotments. We were able in the Autumn to plant them all over Boston.
We worked with the Haven High Academy who did a magnificent lunch for the judging in July. The pubs and hotels entered in the Bloom pub competition did a wonderful job too and in Boston and the villages there was some stiff competition.
Partnerships are important to us, we couldn’t go forward without them. We thank all our sponsors and supporters, and particularly our magnificent volunteers who go through sunshine and showers to keep Boston a more beautiful and cleaner town.
Next year is a vital one. Our work with the Poacher Line will continue, our work with Transported should see the buoys in place. And we have been entered into the national Britain in Bloom competition as the representatives for the East Midlands.
It will be a busy year !
Alison Fairman BEM
Chair of Boston in Bloom
