The winning St Peter’s Floral Guernsey team. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0805690)
ST PETER’S was named winner of this year’s Floral Guernsey Community Competition at an awards evening on Saturday.
The parish beat off challenges from five other entrants, including Herm and St Martin’s, and has now been offered the opportunity to represent Guernsey in next year’s Britain in Bloom.
Judges commended St Peter’s for its community spirit, especially the parish’s ‘give an hour’ scheme, which generated 50 extra volunteers.
Marguerite Talmage, from the parish’s Floral Guernsey committee, said the team was thrilled to win.
‘It’s a very difficult competition. Everyone set such a high standard this year, so to actually win is overwhelming,’ she said.
‘The most important thing about what we all do is we have to enjoy it – it has to be fun. That’s how we have approached all our projects within the parish.’
She said the committee would now meet to discuss whether to enter Britain in Bloom.
Fellow committee member Nigel Baudains was stunned by the win. It was the parish’s first triumph since winning the first two years of a competition that is now in its 12th year.
‘I would certainly like to dedicate this win to the many, many people who have helped make this happen,’ he said.
‘The standard of the competition has risen so much in recent years. In the inaugural years, it was primarily about flowers. Now it is about a lot more – like recycling and education.’
St Andrew’s, last year’s winner of Floral Guernsey, is competing in Britain in Bloom 2009. Judging of that takes place in August.
Judge Lucy Hurdley congratulated all the entrants.
‘It has been a privilege to be shown around Herm and the five parishes,’ she said.
‘We have learnt so much about our heritage in the process.’
Article posted on 13th July, 2009 - 2.29pm
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