A SCARECROW festival, a green wall at a bus stop and more are aiming to help a Somerset town win big in this year’s Britain in Bloom competition.

In 2023, Castle Cary won one gold and two silver guilt medals, and organisers are now preparing for the 2025 contest.

They want to beat those achievements, with a spokesperson saying they “want three gold medals”.

Among plans to help make it happen are the creation of a living wall at a town bus shelter and the staging of a scarecrow festival.

“The award is not just about flowers, though making our town look good helps a lot,” a spokesperson said.

“We need to consider sustainability, the environment and the community.

“We have an ever-growing working group. The primary school, garden association, Eat Cary, Moat Garden, U3A groups, the Allotment Association, The Newt and Higher Farm are all on board.

“We started work in July 2024 and get judged in July 2025.”

Initiatives planned for Cary in Bloom 2025 include:
• Houses and businesses will display hanging baskets/window boxes or tubs to bring colour
• The primary school has included Cary in Bloom in the curriculum and will study through science and art topics
• Focus on individual green projects to find out how the town is becoming more sustainable
• Building a living wall to ‘green up’ a town bus shelter
• Holding a scarecrow festival featuring scarecrows of all shapes and sizes
• A series of informative and educational talks and walks
• An exhibition on Cary in Bloom, with U3A art and photography groups participating
• Bringing the community together through creativity, gardening and fun

Anyone interested in getting involved in the Cary in Bloom project should email penny@castlecary.net.