This is a public record of who we are and what we do and a record
of some of the activities and successes of our small group of
volunteers from the community of Wareham.
History of the Wareham in Bloom Committee
The Wareham in Bloom Committee was formed in 1994 by a number
of local residents who simply wished to brighten up the town and
make it a better place in which to live and work. Thousands of
daffodil bulbs were planted in that year on grass verges on the
northern approach to Wareham, outside the Purbeck School and at
the Sward, a large green space near the Rail Station off the A351
and Bere Road junction. These have multiplied over the years and
are now a swathe of yellow and gold in early spring, a real sight
to behold as we begin to leave winter behind and think of the
warmer months to come.
Over the years, the small committee blossomed into a nucleus of
around 10 members who met regularly, became a committee of equal
partners as a non-standing committee of Wareham Town Council,
and worked to continually improve the look of the town. A decision
was taken to put hanging basket floral displays in the town centre
together with static displays that are bolted to the ground.
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Today,
these form the stunning summertime backdrop to the town centre
and, to most people who live in the town, this IS Wareham in Bloom.There
are more elements than floral displays, however, and over the
years the hardworking committee has also dealt with recycling
initiatives, community participation, environmental awareness,
cleanliness and tidiness of the town and upkeep of street furniture,
to name but a few topics that are included in our judging. How
things changed from initially wishing to plant some bulbs!
Competition Success Over the years, emboldened by success with
local sponsors and the ability to fund more planting schemes,
Wareham in Bloom entered the Southern in Bloom Competition and
had many successes.
A local Wareham in Bloom Competition for residents was introduced
and proved very popular. In recent years, the town has entered
the South and South East in Bloom Competition and has had a number
of excellent results, achieving a number of Silver Gilts and a
run of three Golds in arow up to 2009. In 2008, Wareham was invited
to enter the prestigious national Britain in Bloom competition
and won an excellent Silver Medal in Chester that year. Once again,
in 2011, the town is in the Britain in Bloom finals and we await
our judging on 9th August, a month after the regional South/South
East in Bloom judging
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