Prestatyn has been awarded a Silver Gilt in this year’s Wales in Bloom contest, scoring ‘very highly’ in the environment section.
However, points were lost this year due to a lack of colourful displays in the Town Centre.
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. It provides a useful opportunity to ensure the town is looking good ahead of the tourist season.
The judge, Jim Goodwin, completed his report on the town following his visit in July and told Prestatyn in Bloom Committee Members “you should not be disappointed that you have not achieved Gold this time. Silver Gilt is still a worthy award, for what you have achieved this year”.
The town received its highest score in the Environment section, with the judge stating “You never cease to amaze me in this section”. He was impressed with the Morfas, the seafront, the dunes, the Morfa Gateway Allotments, as well as the Ffrith.
Work at the Roman Bath House was also commended.
Mr Goodwin said:
“The wetlands are very special, but the Belted Galloways [cattle] proved elusive again. There is much more I could mention in this section, but you have an element here that is so successful.”
In the Community section, he was impressed with the educational work and Alpacas at Tiny Tots Day Nursery, the Hedgehog Hospital, and work at the Ffrith.
In the Horticulture section, points were lost due to the lack of colour in the Town Centre. Mr Goodwin said “reductions were apparent, and this needs to be addressed, if possible, in this area”.
However, he commended the station and its surrounds for being “particularly colourful".
Commenting on the report Dr James Davies, who is Chair of Prestatyn in Bloom, said:
“As the judge said, a Silver Gilt is still a commendable achievement. However, having previously been awarded Gold, it is disappointing that we were unable to maintain that standard this year.
“The overriding reason for us slipping down the league table this year has been council cuts. We knew these were going to affect our overall score; there is no getting way from the fact that the floral displays in the town centre haven’t been as good this year.
“Also, the town has not been as tidy due to the bin chaos we have seen across Denbighshire. Without a doubt this has resulted in more rubbish being strewn across our streets. We have also seen staff who would normally be maintaining our grassed areas and town centres, being taken off the job to collect bins.
“The horticultural session sadly let us down this year. We will now do as the judge recommends and review this section and try to bring it in line with the other areas where we scored highly. As Mr Goodwin said: “a small improvement here would bring you back into contention with your nearby rivals”, which is what we want to ensure for next year."
Positive discussions have already been held with the Town Clerk of Prestatyn Town Council with regard to town centre displays for 2025.
This year, Prestatyn also claimed the Norman Stewart Award, bestowed upon James for his long-time support for Prestatyn's entry to Wales and Britain in Bloom.
James has been the driving force behind a regular bloom entry since 2010 and was nominated for the award for demonstrating “unwavering commitment, passion, and dedication not only to the improvement of his hometown but also to the wider Wales and Britain in Bloom initiatives”.
Awarding him with the accolade they also stated that James “has led the local team success over the last 14 years - no matter what else he had going on both personally and professionally, Bloom was always considered a priority. He underestimates the impact that his leadership has had on the local community. It is clear that he has been responsible for significant developments in his town and has plans for many further improvements”.
They also said that ever since being a teenager, James “has been a community champion and actively involved locally. He has never been one to showcase his personal achievements, but he deserves an enormous amount of credit. His drive, attention to detail and desire for perfection means that he cannot rest until every lamppost sticker has been removed! He has even trained his sons to love a litter pick”.
James added:
“We may not have achieved Gold this time, but a Silver Gilt is still extremely impressive and we have much to be proud of.
“2024 presented us with many challenges, but we remained committed and proved that dedication and hard work always pays off.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in helping us achieve this result and I look forward to working with you all again, and hopefully getting us back to Gold status in 2025.”
