The Thames and Chiltern In Bloom judges have made their awards.
Witney Town Council is delighted that Tower Hill Cemetery which entered for the first time has got a very respectable Silver Gilt which is just one step below a Gold award.
At the same time the Leys retained its Gold status from when last judged 2 years ago. This is a great testament to all the work that continued throughout the Pandemic, to keep our parks and green spaces accessible and safe for users.
Our thanks go to staff on the teams responsible for looking after these areas and to our contractors. It’s a great result for the town which along with our town wide planting and community gardens, has provided Witney with another colourful summer.
Feedback from the judges for Tower Hill Cemetery included the following comments:
| This is a well maintained cemetery in a lovely peaceful and tranquil setting. Large mature beech trees add to the aesthetic value of this site.
The two chapels are in good condition although one is used for storage, while the other is functional. |
| AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENT |
| The control of traffic movements within the cemetery, with the use of moveable bollards, restricting access to certain areas at different time of the day. |
| A good level of DDA compliance, given the undulating nature of the site. This is very helpful to visitors. |
| The regular inspection of headstones, as a duty of care, involving the relatives of the bereaved, where possible, to use a Topple Tester to test the stability of their relatives’ headstone and to take the necessary action if required. The high standard of Topiary was excellent and noted as an attractive feature. |
| AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT
There is an ageing tree population within the cemetery. As a duty of care these fantastic trees are inspected on a regular basis by a private company. As the trees are removed on safety grounds, they are replaced which is to be commended. Unfortunately some have failed. |
| There were areas set aside for wild flowers, but these have not been successful this year. |
| The Judges noted that the rose bed adjacent to the chapel was in need of weeding. |
| It would be nice to try and encourage the small group of people who used to maintain the small flower beds adjacent to the chapel to return. They will need encouragement and reassurance if they are to come back to working in this environment. |
Feedback from the judges for The Leys included the following comments:
| It was an absolute pleasure to visit The Leys again and see the park full of activity. The judges were impressed by the range of facilities on offer and the standards achieved by the Town Council staff, their contractors Continental Landscapes Ltd. Well done to all involved. |
| AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENT The community involvement throughout the park is a credit to all involved, evidence was plain to see including the major events such as the Witney Feast, and visiting fairs, to the formal and informal sports, the churches together tree planting scheme, the school wheelbarrow planting competition and the fairtrade planted troughs planted by volunteers. |
| The park was well presented with a high standard of horticultural and grounds maintenance which was appropriate for a Town Park well used by the public. |
| The Arboricultural management is comprehensive with regular proactive inspections/surveys, any identified work recommendations were undertaken with applications made to the Districts Conservation Officer. Judges were impressed with the focus on successional planting and the new avenue of oaks should ensure tree cover is maintained for future generations to enjoy. |
| The park was free from litter and there was a programme of repairs and maintenance of street furniture. The introduction of dual units for litter and recycling was a real improvement and it was noted that this was being well received and used by the public with little or no contamination experienced in the recycling sections of the bins. |
| AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT
Some areas of paving within the park will need attention to prevent trip hazards, the surface around the new War Memorial, tarmac path in the park outside the golf facility, and main path where the avenue of trees between the fairground site and the sports pitch area is heaving due to tree roots. The levels of the slabs on the entrance to play area needs raising where water puddles following inclement weather. The public toilets are an essential public facility for such a busy park and were nice and clean, unfortunately, on the day of judging the interior lights were not working. |
