Hillingdon has re-affirmed its status as the capital’s greenest borough after scooping a haul of top honours at this year’s London in Bloom awards.
The borough fended off strong competition from the capital’s boroughs to once again win gold and overall winner in the ‘large city’ category, having previously won the title in 2017 and 2018. Judges commented on Hillingdon’s ‘extremely high’ standard of horticulture.
A flurry of five further gold awards added to a total of nine accolades from the annual awards campaign – introduced to create lasting environmental improvement and a more attractive city by using flowers and shrubs and landscaping for long-term habitat enhancement.
For London in Bloom, the judges consider civic pride and enthusiasm, provision of flowers and plants and overall cleanliness when making their decisions.
Councillor Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Regeneration, said: “Our continued success at the London in Bloom awards confirms our position as one of the capital’s greenest boroughs and reflects the verdant, almost rural feel of parts of our borough.
“It’s fantastic to see recognition of our villages as genuinely green and bright corners of the city and in particular the success of the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens whose green-fingered endeavours have been rightly rewarded.”
Among the other category winners were the Friends of Eastcote Gardens in the ‘walled garden’ category, Harmondsworth Village for the best London Village and Eastcote Village for the best ‘large London village’. Also, the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens were marked as outstanding in the ‘it’s your neighbourhoods’ category
Lesley Crowcroft, Chair of the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens, was also given the ‘outstanding achievement’ award. She said: “The achievement award was a complete surprise, no one ever knows if they are entered for a discretionary award. I am truly honoured to receive this award, however, I have a great volunteer group backing me. Without them, nothing would be achieved.
“The awards for Eastcote House Gardens and Long Meadow are again the result of dogged work by the Friends of Eastcote House Gardens. They have managed to work throughout the pandemic, taking the necessary precautions, to keep the gardens and Meadow a welcoming haven for all, during the lockdowns.”
Hillingdon’s awards in full were:
Gold
▪ London Borough of Hillingdon was judged overall winner in the ‘large city’ category
▪ Harmondsworth Village won in the ‘London village’ category
▪ Eastcote Village won in the ‘large London village’ category
▪ The Friends of Eastcote House Gardens were crowned winners in the ‘our community’ category
▪ Eastcote House Gardens scooped top place in the ‘park of the year’
▪ The Friends of Eastcote House Gardens won overall in the ‘walled garden’ category
Silver gilt
▪ Long Meadow, in Eastcote Village, won in the ‘Large Conservation’ category
