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Ashcroft wins national Communities in Bloom competition

Ashcroft Communities in Bloom earns top marks at the national awards ceremony in Ottawa last week.
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Ashcroft Mayor Andy Anderson and Communities in Bloom chair Andrea Walker accept first place in the national competition.

Several years of hard work and improving the town’s appearance through park improvements, floral settings and educating the public, Ashcroft’s Communities in Bloom committee was awarded top marks as well as the coveted Five Blooms last week in Ottawa at the national awards ceremony.

Ashcroft competed in the 1,001-2,000 population category against Sun Rivers Resort in Kamloops; Bruderheim, Alberta; Dawson City, Yukon and the Town of Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba.

Communities in Bloom chair Andrea Walker and Ashcroft Mayor Andy Anderson attended the awards banquet on Oct. 26 and brought home the honours. Ashcroft also received a special mention for community volunteers.

Shila Natha won the Scotts Miracle- Gro Contest for Best Residential Edible Garden.

Clinton also competed nationally this year, and while they didn’t place first, they were pleased to received 4 Blooms and a special mention for their Funky Flowerpot Contest.

In their Up to 1,000 population category, Clinton competed against Carmacks, Yukon; Kinistino, Saskatchewan; Valhalla Centre, Alberta; and the winner, Tignish, Prince Edward Island.

Kamloops won first place in the International competition for large city. They competed against Kamloops competed against Barrie, Ontario; Chatham-Kent, Ontario; Northampton, England; and Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Kamloops received special mention for the Kenna Cartwright Nature Park management.

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and the challenge of a national program, with focus on the enhancement of green spaces in communities.

Established with the guidance of Britain in Bloom, Tidy Towns of Ireland and Villes et Villages Fleuris de France, Communities in Bloom held its first edition in 1995 and 29 participating municipalities were honoured at the first awards ceremonies on Parliament Hill. The program now includes hundreds of communities across the country, and an international challenge involving communities from the United States, Japan and several European countries allows participants to compete internationally.

The program consists of communities receiving information and being evaluated either provincially or nationally by a volunteer jury of trained professionals on the accomplishments of their entire community (municipal, private, corporate and institutional sectors, citizens) on eight key criteria: Tidiness, Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Urban Forestry, Landscape, Turf & Groundcovers, Floral Displays and Community Involvement.

The pride, sense of community and feeling of accomplishment generated through participation are visible in communities across Canada. These benefits make Communities in Bloom a program where everyone wins. Participants can benefit financially from the program through community tourism initiatives, business opportunities for the entire community and other related projects.