Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies is celebrating news that two towns in the constituency have been awarded the highest accolade in the annual Wales in Bloom contest.
Both Prestatyn and Denbigh were awarded Gold status at the Wales in Bloom Award Ceremony which was held at Denbigh Town Hall on Friday.
Denbigh was awarded Gold 1st place in the ‘Town’ category, whilst Prestatyn also received Gold, coming 2nd in the ‘Large Town’ category – and missing out on 1st place by just one point!
Commenting on the results, James, who is Chair of Prestatyn in Bloom, said:
“It was a proud moment at Friday’s ceremony when the results were announced and we discovered that Denbigh and Prestatyn had both been awarded gold.
“Wales in Bloom is a tough contest, so for two of Denbighshire’s major towns to score so highly is a remarkable achievement and is testament to the hard work of the committee members and many volunteers in both towns, as well as local councils.
“As Chair of Prestatyn in Bloom I know just how many hours of meetings and work on the ground go into keeping a town in top form and I would personally like to thank and congratulate everyone involved, both in Prestatyn and Denbigh.”
He added:
"I would also like to congratulate Judy Huxley on a very well deserved Community Champion Award specifically in relation to Temple Beer Garden in Denbigh."
Wales in Bloom is a regional event that falls under Britain in Bloom, organised each year by the Royal Horticultural Society and designed to encourage community spirit and pride. It used to be primarily a floral competition, but now it is much more community-orientated, and judges look at a variety of things, including litter, signage, graffiti and flyposting, woodlands and much more.
James is also delighted that Bodnant Community School in Prestatyn was awarded 3rd place in the ‘Schools Garden Awards 2023’, that Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel received a Gold 1st place in the ‘Hotels/Pub/Guest Houses’ category, that Lido Beach Holiday Park, Prestatyn, were awarded a Silver Gilt, and Robin Hood Holiday Park, Rhyl, Silver in the ‘Caravans/camping/holiday homes’ category.
As Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office, and having recently been adopted as the Conservative candidate for the new seat of Clwyd East at the next election, James has also welcomed impressive results in other parts of North Wales.
Holywell received a Silver Gilt 3rd in the Town category, Tree Tops Caravan Park in Gwespyr received a Gold 1st in the ‘Caravans/Camping/Holiday Homes’ category, and Woodlands Hall Holiday Park, Llanfwrog, Silver Gilt in the same category.
In the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood (IYN)’ scheme, which is for volunteer-led community gardening groups which are focused on cleaning up and greening up their local area, the following groups were recognised:
Level 3 Advancing:
Friends of Prestatyn Coronation Gardens
Trelawynyd Tots
Level 4 Thriving:
Clwb Bowlio Rhuddlan
Trelawnyd Community Association
Friends of the Ffrith
Level 5 Outstanding:
Friends of Prestatyn Railway Station
Rhuddlan Nature Reserve
Rhuddlan Allotment Society
James added:
“We are extremely fortunate in the Vale of Clwyd to have so many groups and organisations that are going above and beyond to ensure that our local communities are attractive places to live and visit.
“This recognition is well deserved and I applaud them all.”
