Adobe Acrobat reader is required to view some of these documents. What is Adobe pdf? To obtain this free software click Get Acrobat Reader For those with restricted vision - go to 'Access Adobe' for more information on accessibility of Adobe
For more information on The Royal Horticultural Society Britain in Bloom, please click here
Amersham In Bloom 2012
For 2012 we are going to compile a chronological diary of all the initiatives and events that we are having as a community throughout Amersham within the scope of Amersham In Bloom. In July we will present this diary to the Amersham In Bloom Judges as part of our 2012 entry. Please click on the following link to download the form.
Whether it be a community litter pick, a scout group planting bulbs, or a garden open day we would like to hear from you. Please fill in the attached form accordingly and send it back to Steve Catanach at info@amersham-tc.gov.uk or to Amersham Town Council, King George V House, King George V Road, Amersham HP6 5AW.
Many thanks.
Design a Flowerbed Presentations
The presentations to two of the winners of the schools design a flower competition took place on 20th January at Chestnut Lane Infant School.
Vincent Lin-Chapman, seven, and Ava Rogerson, six, were each presented with a certificate by Cllr Mimi Harker and Pat Armstrong of Amersham Rotary Club..
The two pupils were highly delighted with their prizes and said that they can't wait to help plant out their designs in spring. Vincent asked that his design of a Royal crown could be planted out in the bed round the corner from his house so that he could admire it everyday.
Chestnut Lane School were also awarded the Mark Mattock Cup a couple of years ago which is presented to the best eco-school in the Thames and Chiltern Region as judged by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Some Right Royal Designs
Judging of the winning designs of the schools flowerbed challenge has taken place with four fantastic entries chosen. Judges Richard Langley & Pat Armstrong of the Rotary Club of Amersham, Cllrs Mimi Harker & Jacqui Heydon and Amersham Gardening Club Member Susan Jeffery chose the winning designs from over 200 entries that we received from seven schools in the town.
With 2012 being such an historic year of celebration we gave the children the option of basing their design on the Diamond Jubilee or Olympic and Paralympic Games. Judging proved very difficult but four simple but sticking designs were chosen that would have high impact. Each of the winners- Ava Rogerson & Vincent Lin-Chapman (Chestnut Lane Infant School), Finley Hawkes (St Mary’s C of E Primary School) & Harriette Carus (Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School) will proudly see there designs represented florally during the summer in one of the raised flowerbeds throughout the town.
The Town Mayor & members of Amersham Rotary Club will present each winner with a certificate and school with a cash prize donated by the Rotary.
Left: Susan Jeffery (Amersham Gardening Assoc) and Pat Armstrong (Rotary Club of Amersham) help to judge the winning enteries.
Right: The winning entries have been chosen.
School's Design a Flowerbed Competition
In conjunction with The Rotary Club of Amersham we are once again inviting school children within the area to enter our Amersham in Bloom ‘Design a Flowerbed’ competition.
As in the past three years, we would like students to submit designs for the three brick signature flower beds (in Woodside Road, opposite the Boot and Slipper and beside Ambers). The winning students will receive a certificate and prize, presented by the Mayor, and will assist in planting out the winning designs in the spring.
As 2012 has been named the ‘Year of Celebration’ with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, the design should be based upon the theme ‘Celebrations’. The design could be based on an Olympic theme, maybe a local Olympian/torch/beacon or a design which highlights something iconic from the past 60 years, since the Queen’s Coronation. Amersham is hosting the Chinese Equestrian Olympic team for the games so this is another option for the design.
The designs should be simple, with block colours; plant names should not be specified. There should also be no lettering or numbering within the design apart from ‘2012’, as it will not be possible to re-create any fine detail within the bed. The judges will be looking for simple designs as they make a more striking flower display.
Please make sure all entries have the name, age and school of the designer.
The closing date for entries is 23rd Dec 2011. The winning designers will receive a certificate presented by the mayor along with a cheque for £50 for the school.
We look forward to receiving your schools’ entries.
Thames & Chilterns In Bloom Regional Awards 2011
Amersham wins a Silver Gilt Award
The Thames and Chiltern regional awards for “Britain in Bloom” were hosted this year by the Baptist Church in Chesham. With over 100 representatives from towns and villages throughout the region in attendance, there was an exciting atmosphere leading up to the announcement of the results.
Amersham won a Silver Gilt Award which was very pleasing and Cllr Ros Aitken, head of the Amersham in Bloom working party, and the Town Mayor Mimi Harker, collected the award on behalf of the Town. There was a Highly Commendation Certificate awarded to Stony Dean School for their outstanding achievements in the “Mark Mattock Challenge Cup” competition. The highly prestigious Mark Mattock Cup for schools has been running for 3 years during which time, Chestnut Lane School (Amersham) won in 2009, were runners up last year (highly commended) and now Stony Dean (Amersham) have received commendation for this year’s efforts, a fantastic reflection on the progress that our schools have made by actively participating in Amersham in Bloom.
Cllr Ros Aitken commented:
“I would like to thank ALL my fellow councillors and ALL my support group for their efforts; I would like to thank the Mayor, Mimi Harker, ALL the staff at Amersham Town Council with a special thanks to Steve Catanach, our community services officer, everybody has put in a huge effort to raise awareness and adding a Silver Gilt Award to Amersham in Blooms resume is just reward for our efforts. Gold is our target for 2012 and, with everybody’s help, we can do it, Gold is the byword for the Olympic Year. Finally, I am absolutely delighted that Stony Dean School were so highly commended, not only is it justly deserved, it is a reflection on the truly outstanding work that the Head Teacher, Pauline Dichler and her staff, do at the school in developing the hidden talents of students who often need additional help to cope with future challenges. Of all the Amersham in Bloom projects we have supported over the last few years, Stony Dean’s recognition is far and away the most rewarding”
For a full report on the RHS judges comments click on the following link
Tallest Sunflower Competition
The winner of the Amersham in Bloom Tallest Sunflower Competition has been announced. Grace (6) and Emily Ross (4) of Heatherton House School grew their sunflower to an incredible 260cm. It was such a close contest with a sunflower grown by Maryland Nursery School just 6cm shorter.
The Amersham Town Council distributed 2000 Sunflower seeds to local school children as part of the Amersham in Bloom initiative. It was a great way for children to learn about the science of growing plants and to have fun at the same time! Grace and Emily were only too willing to show off their prized plant. The time and dedication many entrants spent on tending to their sunflowers is extraordinary and is a credit to them. I would like to thank B&M Motors, of Amersham Old Town, for sponsoring the competition and trophy which will be presented by Town Mayor Mimi Harker OBE to the winners at their school assembly in September.
RHS Judges Come to Amersham
RHS Thames and Chiltern judges Ben Stanesby and Ted Smith visited Amersham on 20th July to asses the town for a Britain in Bloom award.
They were treated to a tour of Amersham which included a guided walk with the Amersham Museum Martyrs, a trip to Elmodesham House, a visit Stony Dean School, a talk from John Norris of the Chilterns Society and finally a visit to Misbourne in Station Road, the garden which won the Outstanding Achievement Award at our own Amersham In Bloom Awards.
The RHS judges are assessing all towns within the region, that enter the competition, with the results being announced in Chesham on Sept 21st.
Amersham In Bloom 2011 Winners Awarded
Over sixty green fingered residents packed out the Market Hall in Old Amersham on a rainy afternoon on Sunday 17 July for the Amersham in Bloom prize giving ceremony hosted by Amersham Town Council and the Mayor of Amersham, Mrs Mimi Harker OBE.
Prize winning gardeners rubbed shoulders with winning allotment holders in an afternoon of gardening celebration.
The children from Chesham Bois Combined School accompanied by school governor Jenny Faulkner, came along to accept their winning School Garden first prize of Van Hage gardening vouchers.
For the very first time, a special Award, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Amersham was given for outstanding achievement to the Wright Family. Van Hage has very kindly donated gardening vouchers as well as contributions from Kings Auctions of Old Amersham.
Amersham in Bloom Working Group Chair, Cllr Mrs Ros Aitken said:
'It was a wonderful occasion with residents turning up to celebrate and support their prize winning neighbours. This is what Amersham in Bloom is all about and I would like to thank all those who entered along with our very generous sponsors'.
Best Garden
Mr & Mrs Jones (winner; Top left photo), Mr & Mrs Rafique (2nd) & Mrs Cynthia Louis-Proctor (3rd)
Best Window Box/Hanging Basket
Mrs Pewtner (winner; 2nd left photo), Mr & Mrs Kelly (2nd) & Mr & Mrs Turner (3rd)
Best Communal Garden
Elmodesham House (winner; middle photo), 4 Church Street (2nd) & Amersham Museum (3rd)
Best Allotment
Jill Taylor (winner), Margaret Dale & Brenda King (2nd) & Donna Hoar (3rd)
Best Business
The Eagle PH (winner; right photograph), Seasons Cafe (2nd) & The Saracen's Head PH (3rd)
Best School
Chesham Bois Combined School (winner), Stony Dean (2nd), St Mary's CoE School (3rd)
Best Floral Display
Brenda Veitch (winner), Mr Ellington & Ms Krystman (2nd) & Donna & Christine Hoar (3rd)
Outstanding Achievement Awards
The Wrights (2nd from right)
Some of the winners receiving their awards from Town Mayor Cllr Mimi Harker OBE in the Market Hall on Sun 17th July 2011.
Young Environmental Photographer Competition Winners 2011
The winning entries in the Young Environmental Photography competition, sponsored by Amersham Rotary Club, have been announced.
The winner of the junior category (7-15 years) is Savannah Stott of Chesham Bois who picture was taken in Chesham Bois Wood during the snow while the youth winner (16-18 years) is James McKevitt of Chalfont St Giles with his black and white forest shot.
We had over 50 photographs entered this year of which were of a very high standard. Each winner was presented with a camera by the Mayor of Amersham Mimi Harker OBE, on 17th July in the Market Hall.
Richard Langley (left), George Boyle (middle) of Amersham Rotary Club & Peter Jones
Amersham In Bloom 2011
For 2011, we are looking for new volunteers to join the Amersham in Bloom Working Party. We also need helpers to plant, dig, prune and weed the town’s many flower beds. You don't have to commit a large amount of your time - just a helping hand once in a while is enough. If you are interested please contact
info@amersham-tc.gov.uk for further details.
School Children's Competitions
Flowerbed Planted Out To Commemorate the Royal British Legion's 90th Anniversary
The Mayor of Amersham & Members of the Amersham & District British Legion were on hand to help to plant the flower bed that celebrates the 90th Anniversary of The Royal British Legion. The display donated by Amersham Town Council is located at the Boot and Slipper roundabout and is in the design of a remembrance poppy.
This important year is a time for all to reflect how much the Legion do to care and to help our armed forces both past and present.
Right Photograph: Cllr Mrs Mimi Harker OBE (Town Mayor), Mrs Veronica Higgins (Committee Member), Mr Dave Peace (ATC), James Callicott, Mr Neil Spencer (ATC), Mr Keith Edlin MBE (LT Colonel Retired), Mr John Hoar (Branch Vice Chairman), Mr Bob Higgins, (Buckinghamshire County Chairman & ATC), Mr Andrew Seymour (Branch Chairman), Cllr Jacqui Heydon (Secretary) & Mr Keith Robinson (Treasurer)
Amersham Flowerbeds are planted out by Competition Winners
Pupils from St Mary’s CofE School got their hands dirty planting out the flowerbed on Station Road (top left) while Chestnut Lane Infant School helped to plant out the Royal Wedding design in the bed along Woodside Road. Finally Little Chalfont Primary School gave the bed at the Boot and Slipper a makeover.
Amersham Community Clean Up Day on Sunday 27th March 2011
Amersham Town Council would like to thank everyone for their support on Community Clean Up Day. The day helped to encourage residents to take on responsibility for the local environment and to have a lasting sense of pride in maintaining the appearance of the Town and surrounds, including the considerate disposal of litter.
Sixty-nine volunteers including residents, community groups, students, PCSO, Councillors and Scout Cubs helped on the day.
96 bags of waste were collected throughout Amersham, including 6 shopping trolleys, a car drive shaft, car wheel & tyre and a hub cap!
6 bags alone were collected by a resident in Stanley Hill.
With the help of Amersham In Transition we sifted out 13 bags of recyclables, glass plastic and cans which were taken to the local recycling centre.
|
Cllr Ros Aitken cleaning up Amersham Common alongside Mr Marlin (Amersham Round Table) & Susan Badham
|
Brain Woods (Amersham Action Group) & Kat Troth (Amersham in Transition) outside St Michael’s Church.
|
School's Design a Flowerbed Competition 2011
Children’s efforts have been rewarded as their floral designs have been selected to be used as part of Amersham in Bloom.
All school children throughout the Amersham area were invited to take part in a competition to design a flowerbed. The three winning designs- Nimi Kava (left design), Little Chalfont Primary School, Alfie Nagle (middle), Chestnut Lane School and Toby Heard (right), St Mary’s C of E School were chosen by the representatives of the Amersham Rotary Club, Cllr Mrs Lamont and Susan Jeffery.
Cllr Martin Phillips,Mayor of Amersham, has presented each designer with a certificate and a £50 prize, donated by the Rotary Club of Amersham for their school. In June their designs will come to life in the signature flower beds located around the Town.
Amersham In Bloom 2010
Focus on the Crocus
The Rotary Club of Amersham with the help of Amersham Town Council has spent a lot of time this month involving local Infant and Primary school children in planting purple crocus bulbs at various locations around Amersham.
Amersham Rotary Club is just one of many clubs across Britain and Ireland who are taking part in ‘Focus on the Crocus’ – a scheme designed to draw attention to Rotary International’s effort to eradicate polio from the world.
Purple flowering bulbs have been chosen to symbolise the purple dye painted on the little fingers of children when they have been vaccinated.
It is hoped that the bulbs will flower in a blaze of colour during Rotary Week 2011 at the end of February. Areas planted include Oakfield and Sycamore Corners, St Mary’s Churchyard and at the junction of Station Road and London Road West.
Britain In Bloom Regional Awards 2010
The RHS regional awards were held at St Mary's Church on 30 September 2010, hosted by Amersham Town Council. There were over 130 visiting dignitaries from the Thames Valley and Chilterns Region at the Awards Presentation.
Amersham Town was awarded a Silver Gilt in the best town category, being runner up to Henley-on-Thames by the narrowest of margins. Amersham also won the award for the best portfolio and Chestnut Lane Infant School were highly commended as runners up in the Mark Mattock Schools Challenge Cup.
Cllr Ros Aitken, Chair of Amersham in Bloom Working Party, was 'absolutely delighted with the Silver Gilt Award and for the complimentary comments made about the town by the RHS judges..... all the hard work by the Town Council staff and the volunteer helpers and sponsors have made all our efforts worthwhile. This year we have seen steady progress with more community involvement and hopefully we can maintain our momentum for 2011 and continue to improve our town..... Amersham Matters'
An extract taken from the RHS Britain in Bloom Regional Judges Report;
'A true sense of spirit & pride comes across in Amersham. It is clear that 'Amersham In Bloom' has become part of the life of the town, with all sectors now successfully working together to make improvements to this already attractive area.
With the progress and successes to date, coupled with the enthusiasm and perseverance of those involved, Amersham will undoubtedly improve still further in future years'.
'The promotion of Amersham in Bloom is notable, and it really is a year round effort with events throughout the year being used as further opportunities to promote awareness of the campaign.'
'Amersham is a good entry displaying many excellent features, the contrast in character between old Amersham and top Amersham presents a challenge to the organisers, as does the involvement of district and county councils with the maintenance of certain areas.'
The Amersham In Bloom Working Party would like to thank everyone who participated in Amersham in Bloom local competitions, the judges, and to our sponsors for their invaluable contribution to keeping Amersham Blooming. Thanks go to Seasons for the catering and John Morgan of Van Hage for the floral display in the porch at the entrance of St. Mary's Church.
Young Environmental Photographer Competition 2010
The winning entries from the Rotary Club of Amersham sponsored photography competition have been chosen and we are pleased to announce the winners.
1st prize went to Habib Hussain of Stony Dean School (left photograph) and 2nd prize to Sophie Ensor (right photograph) of Heatherton House School. Both winners were awarded a certificate and a digital camera, supplied by Chesham Cameras,by Councillor Martin Phillips, Amersham Town Mayor, in the Memorial Gardens during Heritage Open Day.
The photograph, left, shows Sophie receiving her prize and certificate from the Mayor, Councillor Martin Phillips and Amersham Rotary Club members David Bull & Chalmers Cursley. The presentation was made at Heritage Open Day on 12 September 2010.
We look forward to another competition next year.
Amersham In Bloom Competition 2010
The judging has taken place of the gardens and floral displays entered into the annual Amersham In Bloom Competition. This year there were more entries than ever and the judges were very impressed by the high standard and the effort that local gardeners had had taken. The winners are shown below.
Prizes were sponsored by Van Hage (first prize), Fox's of Amersham (2nd prize), Old Amersham Dental Clinic (3rd prize) & Tesco's (highly commended) and were awarded at the Amersham Carnival on 10 July 2010 by Amersham Deputy Mayor, Councillor Michael Andrews-Reading.
Amersham is hosting the presentation for the Chiltern & Thames District Awards in St Mary’s Church, Old Amersham on Thursday 30 September 2010. The event will be attended by dignitaries from across the whole region.
Best Garden
Mr & Mrs Sulley (winner; Top left photo), Mr & Mrs Jones (2nd), Steve Wootton (3rd) & Mr & Mrs Morton (highly commended)
Best Window Box/Hanging Basket
Mr & Mrs Physick (winner; 2nd left photo), The Hoar's (2nd), Beth Trew (3rd) & Sara Horsley (highly commended)
Best Communal Garden
Amersham Museum (winner; middle photo), The Worthies (2nd), The Copse (3rd) & Day's Almshouses (highly commended)
Best Allotment
Dr A Sorensen (winner; 2nd from right), Mr Picton (2nd) & Vanessa Brown/Alison Greenhalgh (3rd)
Best Business
Season's Catering (winner; right photograph), The Eagle PH (2nd) & The Saracen's Head PH (3rd)
Best School
Chestnut Lane Infant School (winner), Heatherton House School (2nd), Henry Allen Nursery School (3rd) & Chesham Bois CofE School (highly commended)
Young Environmental Photographer Competition
2010
We are inviting students to part in the 'Student Environmental Photographer Competition', sponsored by the Rotary Club of Amersham. The theme of the competition is Britain In Bloom: The International Year of Bio-diversity. With the term biodiversity simply meaning 'the variety of life on earth' the entries can be photographs of anything from the ecosystem, whether it be plants or animals, to the physical environment. Other than that there are no rules!!
There are two prizes of a 12 MP compact camera up for grabs, one awarded for each age group.
Amersham Flower Beds Planted out May 2010
Pupils from across the town grabbed their spades this week to help launch the Amersham in Bloom campaign. Pupils from St Mary’s CofE School got their hands dirty planting the Boot and Slipper and Woodside Road flower beds, before Chestnut Lane School gave the Station Road bed a makeover. Amersham School planted out their own floral design at St Mary’s Churchyard.
Community Clean Up Day April 2010
Despite the rain, Amersham Town Council were delighted to welcome over 100 volunteers to help tidy Amersham in the third annual Community Clean up Day.
Members of the Girl Guides; residents; students; Thames Valley Police and Town Councilors turned out to litter pick and clean up the streets. We collected sacks of general waste; recyclable waste; glass; plastic/aluminum; two discarded road signs; 4 shopping trolleys; 2 ironing boards; one bike and lots of other old metal …!
Amersham in Transition volunteers helped by handing out green bags for re-cyclables and then sorting any re-cycling at the end of the litter pick into bags kindly supplied by Easts. These bags were then taken to the Recycling centre. Approximately 20 bags were filled! With 2010 being The Year of Biodiversity we realised the necessity not just to collect the litter but also the importance or recycling it!
Volunteers received a drink donated by Tesco; a Certificate of Thanks and a free Prize Draw ticket to win a selection of prizes kindly donated by local businesses such as Seasons Café & Deli, Amersham Glass and Jay’s Newsagents.
Amersham in Bloom coordinator: Cllr Ros Aitken said: “It was a fantastic morning – even though the weather was not perfect. Thanks very much to everyone involved, the day was a wonderful success and it was a great preparation for our Britain in Bloom Entry.”
Last year Amersham won the GOLD AWARD in the national competition and will be hosting the prestigious Awards Ceremony at the end of September.
If you have any enquiries please contact Amersham Town Council on 01494 586892 or email info@amersham-tc.gov.uk.
Future Plans
Our consistency comes from the fact that we have never sought to impress the judges with any artificial enhancement, WE HAVE improved, and will continue to improve our Town’s environment for the benefit of all the community.
The competition results are important but they only play a small part in terms of what we are trying to achieve. Hopefully, this prestigious award will trigger even more interest and encourage active community participation for 2010. When you see the memorial gardens in full bloom and you notice the beautiful hanging baskets displayed in the Town, you just know that we have made a difference.
We are delighted to announce that in September 2010, Amersham have been chosen to host the RHS Regional Award Presentations. It is important that we don’t rest on our laurels, so please let’s continue with all the good work and maintain the high standards. We are actively looking for sponsorship or sponsors to help us maintain Amersham’s GOLD STANDARD. The difference it makes to our town is tremendous – Well Done Amersham! 
To maintain the high standards we have set, we need YOUR help, we need YOUR support. If you are interested in getting involved with any aspect of the AMERSHAM in BLOOM project or you would like a full copy of the Judges Report or press releases, please drop a line by email to:
Amersham Town Council info@amersham-tc-gov.uk
2009 Awards:
-
Thames & Chiltern Regional Gold Award
-
Winner in Best Town Category
-
Winner of Best Portfolio of Work
-
Winner of Mark Mattock Cup
(Best School in Region (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire)
Community News: Background to Date
In 2007, Amersham Town Council set up a working party to submit an entry into “Britain in Bloom”, under the Royal Horticultural Society guidelines.
Britain in Bloom is one of the largest horticultural campaigns in Europe working year-round to create a cleaner and greener Britain through community action. Participants can earn top marks in horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
In our first year, with just 8 weeks preparation, we achieved a SILVER Award. This experience, albeit shortlived, enabled us to realise that to improve the high standards we set, it was essential to get additional community support and involvement. This support would help to improve Amersham and help to develop both social cohesion and civic pride. This would benefit the community and visitors alike.
In 2008, Cllr Ros Aitken and her growing working party dedicated a vast amount of effort and time getting more volunteers involved and putting the greatest emphasis on the community;- most notably Schools & Businesses. These efforts were rewarded with Amersham gaining a SILVER GILT. The Royal Horticultural Society recognised the improvements that were made in Amersham.
On to 2009, the Amersham in Bloom committee recruited more volunteers and encouraged the community to become involved in conservation projects. The Mayor organised a cleanup day which was very well supported by over 50 volunteers. Schools were also encouraged to participate which proved very rewarding and helped them understand the need to take care of the environment.
The efforts during 2009 resulted in Amersham receiving the GOLD AWARD and the regional winner’s trophy in the Best Town Category. Amersham also won the award for the best presented portfolio and the prestigious Mark Mattock Cup for Best School went to Chestnut Lane School. This proved quite an achievement beating off competition from entrants from the wider area of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxon.
An extract from the RHS judges report sums up all our efforts, “There was a good mix of residential, education, community spirit and business, and there is much evidence of strong publicity, together with community involvement, enthusiasm and friendliness from all involved making Amersham a joy to judge.”
Our aim for the future and the basis for our 2010 entry, is to improve our Town’s environment for the benefit of all the community.