Melrose is blooming marvellous
Ally McGilvray • Published 11 Oct 2012 08:30
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MELROSE has been confirmed as one of the most beautiful places in Britain.
The abbey town won gold at the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom awards on Guernsey on Saturday.
It was among 72 finalists, picked from more than 1000 communities across the country, after winning the Large Village category at the Beautiful Scotland in Bloom awards last year.
Pam Rowland, secretary of the Melrose in Bloom committee, told the Border Telegraph: "We are thrilled. The group of five bloomers present had dreamt of a gold award." And she added: "The judges complimented Melrose on the exceptionally high standard of the entry, which, they said is the equivalent to a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show."
The award was presented by television presenter Matt Baker, who hosts BBC shows Countryfile and the One Show.
And Pam, who collected it on behalf of Melrose in Bloom, along with Val Miller, vice-chair of Melrose and District Community Council, said it was a reward for all the hard work of the volunteers who had dedicated their time to making Melrose look blooming marvellous.
Jim Goodwin, from the Royal Horticultural Society, who along with his colleague Andrew Jackson visited Melrose in August, said: "The first impression we had was 'wow' that looks very colourful and the quality of the baskets we have seen so far have been very good.
"Each village varies in their approach so that does make judging quite difficult." But he added: "To even get to the final is a major achievement in itself regardless of the results."
This article appeared in Border Telegraph 09 Oct 12
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