Flowery displays bring home medals (From Ilkley Gazette)

Flowery displays bring home medals

5:00pm Saturday 22nd September 2012 in Local news

Staff at a dental equipment company and a care home are celebrating after scooping gold at the annual Yorkshire in Bloom awards.
Optident, based in Valley Drive, in Ilkley took the top prize and were joint winners of the large business premises category.
The Abbeydale Residental Home, also in Ilkley, claimed gold in the public, private and charitable establishments, hospitals, hospices, prisons, public buildings, residential homes and charities category.
But it was silver awards all round for the district’s towns and villages, with Ilkley, Otley, Menston, Horsforth and Bramhope all missing out.
More than 400 people attended the Yorkshire in Bloom awards ceremony, held at York Racecourse, representing more than 270 entrants across the county, including villages, towns, and coastal resorts, through to hotels, schools, universities and racecourses. All were up for the top honours and a chance to represent the region in the Britain in Bloom competition.
And the chairman of Yorkshire in Bloom, Brendan Mowforth, praised all the entrants in the wake of a summer of bad weather and economic problems.
“One really cannot be involved with any outdoor activity this year without thinking about the weather,” he said. “The wettest for 100 years, it set even greater challenges for our entries.
“All the entrants are rightly proud of the way they maintain the areas for which they are responsible. The work undertaken to do this includes conservation, community involvement and horticulture in its broadest form. This all means Yorkshire becomes a better place to work and visit.”
Staff at Optident will share their first prize with joint category winner Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate.
Although taking gold, Abbeydale was beaten by a North Yorkshire County Council Stepping Stones project, while Audley Court, in Ilkley, claimed a silver gilt award.
In the urban community category, Bramhope received a silver gilt medal, but was beaten by Starbeck. Menston took a silver gilt in the small town category but lost out to Dunnington. Otley, Ilkley and Horsforth all competed in the town category, taking silver and two silver gilts respectively. Garforth won the category.
Meanwhile, residents living in Addingham will have to wait until Saturday, October 6, to find out if they have won Britain in Bloom.
For the first time ever, the village will contest the small town category.