Donington made it four straight golds in four years, Long Sutton jointly won the small town category and Spalding missed out on gold by a single point in the East midlands In Bloom Awards.
Others celebrated as villages and towns scooped honours – and there were special awards, including one for Tulip Radio for coverage of the bloom teams’ efforts and the station’s volunteers sprucing up an area around its studios in The Crescent.
Tulip Radio’s Jan Whitbourn and Chris Carter went to the awards ceremony in Skegness to support the hard working Spalding In Bloom team and were surprised to be handed a Judges’ Award.
Jan said: “We were very proud to have even got a mention so to have received a certificate we were gobsmacked.”
Studio volunteers made their car park look picturesque for the day the judges came.
“If everyone did one thing, it could be even better next year,” said Jan. “That’s all it takes, everyone to do one thing.”
Spalding In Bloom’s Angela Newton had mixed emotions to the large town category result.
She said: “Whilst I was delighted we achieved a Silver Gilt Award with 169 points, eight points more than last year, I was very disappointed we were one short of a Gold Award.”
Spalding’s Punchbowl pub won Silver Gilt for its beer garden and Angela said it was “a fantastic result” for its first entry. Springfields Retail Outlet again won best retail/commercial display.
Long Sutton’s joint category win was with a Silver Gilt and bloom chairman Kay Jenkinson said: “We were thrilled.”
Liz Walker, who chairs Donington in Bloom, said hard work was the reason the village had gained four golds in four years.
She said the village has problems with empty commercial buildings, but the volunteers keep the village looking cheerful to “encourage people to live here and work here”.
Crowland In Bloom took Silver Gilt in the small town category and an East Midlands In Bloom Committee Award and committee member Helen Kempton said: “It’s absolutely fantastic.”
It was Silver again in the small town category for Holbeach – but with higher points than last year – and bloom chairman Graham Rudkin said: “I think the town has looked absolutely marvellous this year. We got a Judges’ Award for Holbeach Community Action Group and Small Saints Pre-School got a Gold Award.”
Bourne was awarded a Silver Gilt.
Among other Judges’ Awards were:
Donington – Chronometer Garden.
Long Sutton – Annie’s Patch.
Crowland – Bee Friendly and Edible Beds at the Library.
Bourne – Community Orchard.