Intrepid volunteer team brightens up Newport with flower baskets

Newport in Bloom traditionally decorates the town with flowers baskets and displays, funded by businesses of the area.

With the coronavirus lockdown damaging most businesses' income severely, the group decided that it would take the proceeds of a bumper fundraising year in 2019 and fund the flowers themselves.

Though numbers this year are down (about 75 baskets as opposed to more than 100) and supplies are limited due to the lockdown, the volunteers were determined to help brighten up the town high street.

A team of five volunteers put up the baskets on Sunday morning with the help of contractor idverde and local businesses, though it took longer than anticipated.

Newport in Bloom's Karen Claxton said: "We were supposed to have everything put up by cherry picker and apparently the cherry picker wasn't working, so they did it by ladder.

"The idverde guys were brilliant, one of them must have been up and down at least 80 times."

It took the team about four hours to get all the baskets lifted into place, with the help of David Nagington and the Bloomsbury Nursery who pitched in.

"It was a team effort, we have all worked really hard.

"It has been a struggle for the whole town and Newport in Bloom is delighted we are in a position to brighten up the town as normal.

"We hope that we have managed to cheer up the town, we wish everybody well and we hope that we get through this as soon as possible."

She also thanked Newport Town council for their financial contribution to the baskets.