WELLINGTON was awarded a Silver Award in the Portman Cup for at this year’s South West in Bloom competition.

This year marks the first time Wellington Town Council has led the town’s entry with it previously being managed by Somerset Council.

The Britain in Bloom initiative was created by the Royal Horticultural Society to celebrate community gardening.

Mayor Janet Lloyd and open spaces manager Darren Hill attended the South West in Bloom awards ceremony in Bath on Tuesday (October 8) where they accepted the Silver Award for Wellington.

Other community groups were also recognised for their contributions to the effort.

The Basins Volunteer Group and Friends of Wellington Park received an RHS Level 5 Outstanding Award for the It’s Your neighbourhood Award.

Transition Town Wellington and Swains Nature Reserve also received Level 4 Thriving Awards in the same category.

Wellington Town Council said it will present their certificates at the environment committee meeting on October 23.

Darren Hill said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in the lead up and those who attended on the judging day, this is a team effort and our wonderful community groups and volunteers are so valuable to Wellington.

“My personal thanks to Wellington Town Council and the team, Somerset Council grounds team, Dave Burge, The Community Payback team, the Friends of Wellington Park, Basins Volunteer Group, Friends of Swains Nature Reserve, Transition Town Wellington, and Riverside Plant Nurseries – you all do a fantastic job.

“We are looking forward next year, when the town council has greater control and is able to implement improvement for the wider community to enjoy not just on judging day, but every day. Well done everyone!”

Mayor Janet Lloyd said: “I was honoured to attend the ceremony and see all the efforts that various town and groups have made, and we also gained some positive insight as to how we can improve our entries for 2025.

“It’s a pity that the judges completely missed the point of the living walls on the railings in the town centre.

“Although we want to make the planting attractive, the main reason for them being sited where they are is to alleviate the carbon monoxide emissions from traffic driving through the town.”

The town council also recently announced it entered into an agreement with The Woodland Trust to plant 3,000 trees and shrubs in the Green Corridor as part of the Trust’s Woodland Creation Scheme.

The scheme will see two hectares of land throughout the Green Corridor planted with a variety of native tree and shrub species including English Oak, Alder, Beech, Crab Apple, Field Maple and Goat Willow.