The Walmer in Bloom campaign ended this year after a close-run competition in some categories. Changes this year involved the nominating and voting for local gardens by members of the public, rather than the committee short listing for the RHS judge. One hundred and seven entries were placed into five separate categories.

Horticultural volunteers from the community were presented with certificates, and the winners and their guests of the competition also received prizes at Walmer Castle, with a cream tea and a tour of the gardens for everyone.

The prize winners and the runners up were as follows:

  This year saw the inclusion of a new award - The Allan Scott Trophy; donated by friends and family of Mr Scott, who himself was a winner of several Walmer in Bloom awards. The prize went to Mr Ray Heine of 5 Cheriton Place, the winner of the Best Compact Display, with his amazing display that has wowed formal judges over several years and the voting public this year. 

Mr Ray Heine Winner of The Allan Scott Award

5 Cheriton Place	Marke Wood Rose Garden	43 Channel Lea
	Dorset Gardens	17 St Clare Road

Walmer In Bloom has also entered this year’s South and South East In Bloom competition, it is hoped that all of the good work done by the volunteers at Hawkshill, Walmer Peace Gardens, the Gothic Close flower bed, the council planters, Marke Wood Rose Gardens, and all of the organisations, businesses and residents of the town, will impress the judges and give us a good result. The results of the competition are expected at the end of September, so watch this space and we’ll keep you posted.

Our thanks go out to the hundreds of residents who took their time out of their day to nominate and vote for the winners, as well as to those who spent their time and effort on making their gardens, containers and compact areas bloom this year.

We would like to receive your feedback so we can review and evaluate our efforts and help us make improvements for what will be the 25^th year of Walmer in Bloom next year.

We also make sure that the planters which we have installed at several key locations around Walmer are maintained and, with the help of our talented volunteers, bloom with beauty for most of the year.

Another important aspect of the work of the Councillors who organise the Festival and the willing volunteers who ensure that it all happens smoothly and well, is looking after Hawkshill - a former World War 1 airfield which the town bought to preserve it from developers and which provides a welcoming place to walk or just sit, look at the sea and think.

For the Councillors who organise this Festival and the volunteers who support them, work begins in January when they choose the colour scheme for the current year’s public displays and organise with local primary schools the competition to design a new poster.

Judging this competition and choosing winners from the literally hundreds of excellent entries is perhaps the most difficult part of the work of the Walmer in Bloom Committee, which is currently chaired by Cllr Louise Ludwig.

The children who design the winning poster receive a prize, and the winning image is used to promote the competition on all the publicity material for that year.

The top prizes, along with framed copies of the winning poster designs, will be presented to the winners at an annual ceremony and the whole event will usually be reported on by our local paper and featured both on the Council’s own website.

But, there is much more to Walmer in Bloom than the competition. The committee and supporters manage over a dozen planters throughout the Town with Winter and Summer planting. 

Working with local suppliers, each summer, we hang nearly 50 floral baskets from lamp posts along the seafront.

In 2019 the Hawkshill Working Group came under the management of the Walmer in Bloom committee. Many of the Councillors were already members of both groups so it was a natural move in terms of administration. Hawkshill has its own volunteers which meet on a regular basis to work on the Freedown and they are supported by outside contractors when appropriate.

Looking to the future, the Walmer in Bloom Committee is working with the Climate Change Emergency Group within the Town Council to encourage an increase in bio-diversity within the Town, the development of “bee corridors” and a reduction in the use of harmful pesticides.

If you are not a ‘committee person’ but think that you might like to be involved in the work of the committee and help make your town bloom with practical aspects on a “friends” basis then please let us know by contacting the Town Office.

Walmer in Bloom Video-2022

Walmer in Bloom Video-2023

Walmer in Bloom Video-2024