All Categories - Sudbury in Bloom

Sudbury in Bloom launch a holey boat!

14/6/2024

The official naming and launch of the John Sayers boat has taken place next to the Quay Theatre.

Working with the River Stour Trust, Sudbury in Bloom have been given a former Rowing Eight by Sudbury Rowing Club. This has been cut down to fit the available space and drainage holes cut to allow plants to be planted in the boat. A large amount of landscaping of the surrounding area was also carried out by volunteers.

Sudbury in Bloom Chairman, Chris Storey said: “Named after the hard working and long standing supporter of Sudbury in Bloom, John Sayers, we trust she will remain static in this very spot for many years and not take to the high seas!

“The boat was the idea of our dedicated vice chair Andy Howes and he and the Sudbury in Bloom team have worked hard to develop the project and to create a unique feature of it.

“What was a weedy and rather unloved area has been transformed with this help and a unique setting created for quiet contemplation and to present the Quay Theatre and Rowing club with a more attractive setting.

Sudbury in Bloom's Mark Mason, Chris Storey, Jonathan Price, Lyndon Collier and Andy Howes with Sudbury Town Council's Jan Osbourne, John Sayers and River Stour Trust manager Catherine Burrows

"We are most grateful to the River Stour Trust and Sudbury Rowing Club for their support and to all of our other supporters including Jan Osbourne who has I know appreciated the effort of our volunteers and we are delighted that one of her last tasks as mayor was to preside over the official launch.”

Whether you are visiting the Quay Theatre, River Stour Trust's “Granary”, one of the many leisure clubs in Quay Lane, enjoying the railway walk or just want to see what the latest great design idea for Sudbury has produced, the boat provides a tranquil spot for quiet contemplation on the bench adjoining!

Sudbury on Show

22/3/2024

Sudbury in Bloom will be at this showcase for local groups and voluntary organisations - come and say hello! The event runs tomorrow 10am to 3pm in Sudbury Arts Centre (St Peter's) on Market Hill.

We will be handing out leaflets and looking to sign up new volunteers to help us keep Sudbury beautiful.

If you would like to Get Involved click here!

New working areas

28/11/2023

In the last few years Sudbury in Bloom has taken over responsibility for two of the flower beds on the Northern Road/Waldingfield Road roundabout ("the McDonalds roundabout"), starting with the one facing Springlands in which we partnered up with Bridge Farm Plants in Monks Eleigh, followed by the one facing Gallows Hill.

We have now agreed to care for the other two flower beds on the roundabout. A team of volunteers enjoyed a working party in the winter sunshine, clearing the weeds, cutting back and generally tidying up. There is already a reasonable amount of planting in the beds but we are sure we will get more flowers added in the future!

Our next working party is 10am Tuesday 5th December at Sudbury Resource Centre on Northern Road.

First class volunteers!

2/11/2023

A pair of Sudbury in Bloom volunteers have been rated first class at a regional awards ceremony!

Earlier this year Mark Mason and Maxine Hinshelwood stepped forward to become Sudbury’s Station Adopters, joining the 330 volunteers who help care for the 61 station gardens across the Greater Anglia network.

Thanks to their hard work the station was joint winner of the ‘Most Improved Station’ title at this year’s Station Adoption Awards, run by Greater Anglia.

Supported by Sudbury in Bloom and Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership the duo have helped make the station a bright and beautiful gateway to the town.

The long border along the platform has had overgrown vegetation cut back and replaced with a colourful mixture of shrubs, perennials and seasonal flowers.

Other improvements include repainting fencing and the addition of ‘flower towers’ and planters to the approach.

The pair received their well-deserved award at a ceremony held at Ipswich Town Football Club’s Portman Road Stadium.

*To help care for Sudbury railway station and other projects around town contact Sudbury in Bloom on 07957 817165 or email [email protected].

Sudbury in Bloom on the fence (but not sitting!)

5/9/2023

Sudbury in Bloom have a number of projects underway this year and one of the most prominent is the planting at the Sudbury Railway Station.

The borders and planting have had a large number of plants added and vegetation cut back to give a better display. Now, as Chris Storey our chair says: “We have really got on the fence”.

The old woodwork was looking tired and grey and a fresh coat of stain is being added to give a more attractive backdrop and to enhance the planting and approach to the station.

There have been several work parties and the latest has started to bring colour to the station cheeks! Well the side fencing at least! We are hoping to get further work carried out to the front fencing shortly and to make Sudbury an even more cheerful place to visit as you come off the train.

Volunteer support of an hour or two or more at times to suit are always welcome. Or there is a great group that meets in Belle Vue Park that can always find work for volunteers.

If you think that Sudbury deserves a bit of your time and you are curious as to how you might contribute it then you are welcome to ring for a chat or to come along to one of our meetings and find out more.

Call us on 07957 817165 or email [email protected]
Help us to make Sudbury Blooming Great!

Could you 'adopt' a flower bed?

3/8/2023

Our working parties work on a rota around different sites in town, which can mean we don't get to some flower beds for weeks or even months.

We are now looking for people willing to 'adopt' different flower beds and planters, to keep a regular eye on them, keep them as tidy as possible, and to let us know when extra help is needed.

We would also love to hear from people who could help 'behind the scenes' with administration, publicity, organising our competitions and more.

Give us a call on 07957 817165 or fill in the form at the bottom of the page.

Perfect Petunias

27/6/2023

Although most of the town's beds and borders are being turned over to permanant planting, planters will still revel in the glories of colourful seasonal bedding.
The Garden Nursery have done a terrific job with co-ordinated Petunias all around Sudbury's town centre.

Can you help make Sudbury beautiful?

13/6/2023

Perennial displays

6/6/2023

Sudbury has been gradually moving away from traditional seasonal bedding displays to more sustainable long-lasting displays of perennials - plants that come back year after year.

One of the newest flower beds to get converted is this beauty on Gregory Street - a wonderful job by contractors The Garden Nursery.

Planting ... finally!

16/5/2023

For the last year, weather conditions have been incredibly difficult for gardening.

Last summer we had extreme heat and little rain for months, followed by the endless frosts of the winter. This has meant we have not been able to do very much planting at all.

The Angelo Smith sponsored water bowser is a huge help for getting new plants settled in in areas close to the St Peter's water supply. It was put to good use as we finally got a promising weather window for adding new drought-tolerant plants to Siam Gardens.