Splashing time for bloom judges

Photo: Picture ANTHONY MILLER

Councillor Jackie Stanton with North West in Bloom judge Peter Wiseman.

OLDHAM’S flower power came under scrutiny in a three-hour inspection of the best the borough has to offer.

Local officials hope that rain during Friday’s visit from North-West in Bloom judges wouldn’t dampen Oldham’s chances of walking away with a prize in this year’s contest.

Judges Peter Wiseman and Trevor Leese were walked around the seasonal splashes of colour and fragrance by deputy council leader Councillor Jackie Stanton and some of the gardeners who helped to create stunning flower beds and baskets.

Now the borough faces an anxious wait to see if it can improve on last year’s performance which marked a return to the regional contest following a seven-year absence.

The 2009 competition resulted in Oldham being crowned Best Town Centre and runner-up in the prestigious Best City category.

Hopeful that this year will produce an even better result, Councillor Stanton said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved with Bloom and Grow for the tremendous work that has been done over the summer.

“This has again been a fabulous community effort with local residents, businesses and partners all pitching in with imaginative, environmentally sustainable projects.”

The judges whistle-stop tour took in more than a dozen areas, including the underwater-themed display at the Broadway/Shaw Road junction, the bucket and spade sculpture at Oozewood Road, Royton, and a scheme encouraging residents to grow and sell local produce at Tandle View Court.