COMMUNITY spirit was very much in evidence when judges from South and South East in Bloom came to see Farnham in Bloom’s entry into the Town Centre category.

The judges enjoyed a 90-minute tour of the town centre and visited Victoria Garden, Borelli Walk, Gostrey Meadow and St Andrew’s School.

They saw the town’s floral displays as well as art murals and scarecrows designed by local schools - these can be seen on display in empty shops in East Street.

Stephen Hill, the town council’s lead member for Farnham in Bloom said: “To help them assess our entry, the judges were looking for examples of horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.

“I was really proud of the number of examples of community participation that we were able to show. Along the judging route, we paused to see 150 children from The Dance Movement taking part in a dance performance called Farnham Blooming.

“The dance was themed around ‘The Green Man’ which is often interpreted as a symbol that represents the cycle of growth. The children were a delight to watch and wore some amazing handmade costumes which represented roots, bees, dragonflies, flowers and other symbols of nature.

“I would also like to give a special mention to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK from Tilford. They kindly arranged a town centre litter pick on the night before the judging.

“Finally, my thanks go to all the sponsors of Farnham in Bloom and in particular our corporate sponsor BBS Ltd.

“Many hanging baskets and flower containers across Farnham are sponsored and I think that, when you take a look at the displays and sponsors’ plaques you cannot fail to be impressed by the number of people who support this initiative.”

The River Wey is a popular feature of Farnham and the town council was pleased to introduce the judges to members of the Farnham Rivers Group.

A member explained their role within Farnham in Bloom and the wider community which includes monitoring invasive species, recording river quality, riverbank repairs and aiding the creation of fish habitats.

Judges from South and South East in Bloom will return to Farnham on Thursday, July 21, for the judging of the Large Town category. They will be followed by the Britain in Bloom judges who arrive on Tuesday, August 2.

Anybody interested in finding out more about Farnham’s entries into South and South East in Bloom and Britain in Bloom can watch a specially made video that was shown to the judges and see the briefing notes provided for them. It can be viewed at www.farnham.gov.uk/bloom.

The results of Farnham in Bloom will be announced in September.