How many of you know that the Chairman of The Royal Parks Guild happens to live on the Isle of Wight?
It was news to us too, but welcome news when we heard how Mike Fitt OBE is committed to the Island
We understand that as well as working closely with Ryde town councillor, Graham Pearce, to re-establish Ryde in Bloom, Mike has organised a forthcoming free seminar.
‘Growing Your Neighbourhood’ is a half day seminar covering subjects such as Green Flag and Pennant Awards, In Bloom events, Dig together days, allotment management and promotion. It should provide an insight into how we can improve the look of our locality and make the Island an even better place to live in and visit.
National and regional schemes
Various local, regional and national organisations have a range of schemes in place which support and recognise community endeavour. These initiatives include –
- ‘In Bloom’ campaigns run by Britain in Bloom, South & South East in Bloom and competitions such as Wight in Bloom which engage every sector of the community.
- ‘Greenflag Award’ for parks, public gardens and any freely accessible green space such as a local nature reserve. Sitting alongside ‘Greenflag’ is the ‘Green Pennant’ award aimed at green spaces managed by community and voluntary groups.
- Awards for schools with the ‘Eco-Schools’ programme which includes its Bronze, Silver and prestigious Greenflag awards scheme. Also hosting an excellent school grounds competition is South and South East in Bloom.
- Neighbourhood Awards scheme such as the ‘It’s your neighbourhood’ programme promoted by Britain in Bloom and run locally by South and South East in Bloom, engages directly with local people.
- Coupled with the various award schemes are projects such as the The Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Dig together Days’ aimed at affiliated horticultural clubs and societies and encouraging them to ‘get the whole community involved’ in their local activities.
Reserve your free place at the seminar
If you’re interested in attending the seminar to find out more, get in touch with Mike ([email protected]) as numbers are limited.
Image: forestgladesiwander under CC BY-SA 2.0
