Muthill and Comrie look forward to Britain in Bloom finals

Jan 22 2010 by Lynn Duke, Strathearn Herald

TWO Strathearn communities have been named as finalists in the RHS Britain in Bloom 2010 competition.

Comrie and Muthill will be among the 67 cities, towns and villages from across the UK that have been chosen to represent the very best in community horticulture - Comrie in the large village category and Muthill in the village category.

Each year over 1,000 communities participate in the campaign in their region to demonstrate their green fingered accomplishments in an attempt to earn a nomination to the UK finals.

Stephanie Eynon, RHS Community Horticulture Manager, said: “We see RHS Britain in Bloom as a genuinely relevant and integrated initiative, enabling people to join together to improve their local communities through a range of longterm, sustainable and locally defined projects. Not only does Britain in Bloom improve people’s sense of civic pride but it is also beneficial to the environment.”

The finalists’ ‘Bloom’ year will officially launch on March 24 with a mass planting exercise across the country. It closes with the annual awards ceremony on September 29. RHS judges will visit each community throughout two weeks in August to appraise the entries and to prepare expert advice to help each community improve on their efforts for future years.

Plans to make the villages look their best are already underway. Comrie in Colour chairperson, Isabel Fraser told the Herald that work in the Shaky Village is ongoing. “The weather has hampered things recently,” she said, “but we are just waiting for it to get better so we can continue with our latest project, the planting of a native, multi-berry hedge at Cultybraggan, which will attract a variety of wildlife. The trench is already dug. Our new raised beds are also ready and the seeds for the new season are in stock so we’re raring to go.”