The Wheel Winter 2021

2021 Gold Award in the Ayre Cup for RADSTOCK IN BLOOM

It’s been a very busy few months since I last sat down to write an article for The Wheel. The summer baskets have been fantastic and we have received many compliments on them and the planting around town, including a small painted pebble “You are Lovely” gift left in the Brian Perrett Memorial Signal Bed.

Jean has been extra busy working on the Church Street bed and we are excited to have some new blood within the group with new ideas and are looking forward to developing the area into a place of adventure and education for the young school children heading to and from St Nicholas School.

We welcomed the RHS judge to Radstock back in July. Showing off the best of Radstock, we visited the fantastic Writhlington Orchid Project and learnt about how the Orchid Project adapted throughout the pandemic selling orchids propagated by the students online. After, we headed to the Writhlington Community Allotments, a small but fantastically worked space of flowers and vegetables with a sense of community.

Leaving Writhlington behind, we headed up to Haydon and were met by Cam Valley Wildlife group. The judge was taken on a tour of Haydon batch, probably the best example of natural rewilding, before heading to Haydon Community Gardens, a lesser known space of flowerbeds, woodland runs and greenspace.

Finally, we headed back into town, stopping to admire the Memorial Gardens, Miners’ Wheel and Museum and the greenway beds, planted and maintained by Councillor Gary Dando. Passing the Riverbank Café, who have put on an amazing floral display this year, crossing over to admire the new planter and knitted display by the wonderful Radstock Knitters group.

Then, we walked along Fortescue Road and saw the traders’ displays, then on around to the Brian

Perrett Memorial Signal Bed, meeting Pam and Jo, who have worked very hard on this space; weeding, moving and planting stuff from the old Radco garden. Together they have created a space which was the most photographed area of the day, before we stopped for lunch.

Skip forward to the 7th October and we received our award for this year’s main competition - we won a Gold!

We are over the moon with the result and at our first meeting in 18 months decided on the 2022 colour scheme which will celebrate a historic Jubilee year alongside the theme of Grow in the Community.

If you’d like to get involved or perhaps start a rewarding and fantastic community project, we are looking to support and start projects in the Tyning and Clandown area, please contact us for more information.