Bexhill in Bloom and Battle Town Council shared delight at their respective awards from South and South East In Bloom (SSEIB), a part of Britain in Bloom connected to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), at their September 2023 prize giving event. As well as this, Bexhill has been recognised as a "Tree City of the World 2023" due to the tree planting initiatives of local volunteers, groups and the work undertaken as part of Rother District Council's action on Climate Change.
According to reports, Bexhill in Bloom were awarded the GOLD award for Coastal Towns (over 12,001) for the second year running, with praise given to the planting in Egerton Park and the biodiversity-friendly wildflowers along the Marina. As well as their GOLD award, Bexhill in Bloom volunteers Margaret Garcia and Margaret Lea were both awarded Community Champion Awards in recognition of their dedication to Bexhill in Bloom. Battle Town Council were also GOLD award winners, winning the Small Town and Small Park GOLD awards, as well as the Biodiversity and Environment Innovation Award.
Cllr Kathryn Field said of the accolades, "As lead for the Climate Emergency I am delighted that the fantastic awards to Battle and Bexhill were based in part to those towns’ commitment to biodiversity. This was a tremendous effort by volunteers who are to be congratulated."
Cllr Vikki Cook added, "I would like to thank the clerical and ground staff at Battle Town Council but especially retired and current Councillors for their perseverance and determination to make Battle a better place to live, work and visit."
Speaking to Bexhill's award, Cllr Richard Thomas said, "This is the result of all the hard work by the volunteers and committee members of Bexhill in Bloom", words that were echoed by Cllr Polly Gray.
A source from Bexhill in Bloom said, "Bexhill in Bloom is grateful to Rother District Council for ongoing financial support, the core funding it provides forming a strong basis for obtaining grants from other sources."
In reference to the Tree Cities of the World 2023 accolade, a press release from Rother District Council says, "The application to become a Tree City arose following participation in the Trees for Cities’ ‘Forgotten Places: Greening Coastal Towns and Cities’ project which began in 2021. The aim was not only to enhance green spaces and improve air quality in coastal areas, but also to offer local residents training to build their environmental knowledge and learn tree-related skills that are relevant towards the green sector. Through this initiative, Rother District Council was able to commission Treeconomics, in partnership with Forest Research, to create the Urban Forest 1066 assessment and subsequent Tree Planting Strategy for Bexhill. With the help of many volunteers, by April 2023 over 200 trees had been planted on Bexhill streets, 1500 whips at Bexhill Down, 38 trees at Sidley Rec and 9 trees at Southlands Open Space."
A hearty well done from the Rother Alliance to all the volunteers, staff, Councillors and others for their dedication to making our towns as beautiful and ecologically beneficial as the Areas of Natural Beauty that surround them. These accolades are thoroughly well deserved.
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