Yorkshire in Bloom has announced that its spring round of judging will not be taking place this year, due to the un-seasonal weather conditions currently in place across the region.
Judges from Yorkshire in Bloom were all set to travel across the county from the start of the Easter holidays, right up to April 12, to assess the entries taking part in this community, horticultural and environmental campaign.
There are almost 180 entries for 2013, and each is usually judged twice during the ‘in Bloom’ year; once in spring and once in summer, with the aim of showing the effect of work being done all year round, mostly by volunteers, to make villages, coastal resorts, towns and cities throughout Yorkshire look bloomin’ marvellous.
It’s the first time that spring judging has been cancelled, as Brendan Mowforth, Chair of Yorkshire in Bloom explained:
To my knowledge I do not believe Yorkshire in Bloom has ever had to cancel a judging period. The decision has not been made lightly, and is based on the prolonged severe weather conditions that we are currently experiencing, which have followed on from the initial possibility of a draught early last summer, to flooding, snow, severe frosts and freezing easterly winds through autumn, winter and now spring. In the last 12 months gardeners all over Yorkshire have been challenged to the highest level.
I am aware that many of our entries are extremely concerned about the current ongoing weather conditions and that they may not have anything to show judges during this spring judging period. In view of this, the Executive has agreed the best move is to cancel spring judging and that the Yorkshire in Bloom Awards this year will be based on the summer judging only, which will take place from the 1st July to the 19th July 2013.
Flying the flag for Yorkshire in the national Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom campaign for 2013 are: Barwick-in-Elmet (Large Village category), Garforth (Town category), Hunmanby (Small Town category), Luddenden (Village category), Ripon (Large Town category), Starbeck nr Harrogate (Urban Community category), York (City category).
