Bid to get Market Drayton looking blooming marvellous

Market Drayton Town Council is now inviting entrants for its annual competition, which will be judged in July.

Anyone who wants to undertake a horticultural community project that enhances the look of the town can enter, by downloading an application form from marketdrayton.gov.uk and returning it to the town hall in Frogmore Road, or emailing it to admin@marketdrayton.gov.uk. Entrants can also call the town council on 01630 653 364.

The deadline for entries is July 12, and a three-person panel will carry out judging a few days later.

New Mayor of Market Drayton Councillor Roger Smith will be one of the panel alongside his wife Margaret and fellow town councillor Donna Edmunds.

Councillor Smith said he was looking forward to seeing the townspeople decorate their homes and businesses and thereby contribute to the beauty of the whole town.

'Pride'

“It’s been an annual thing for some considerable time,” he said. “A lot of work and preparation go into it. The assistant town clerk Kate Harvey puts an awful lot of time and effort into it.

“We have got a lot of budding Alan Titchmarshes and Charlie Dimmocks in the town, we have got some wonderful gardens and I would love to see all those people coming along and joining the competition.

“People still take pride in taking part in the competition and it’s not all about coming first, second or third.”

The mayor said he always enjoyed judging the contest and that he is keen to see people make an effort with their gardens, hanging baskets and shrubs.

He said: “The replies are starting to come in but not as quickly as we would like. I would like the people of Market Drayton to make the competition a great success.”

Residences will be judged on July 17, with businesses and care homes being judged the following day.

Winners will be announced at an awards evening in September.