Southwater Parish Council Celebrates Silver Gilt Success in South & South East in Bloom

Southwater Parish Council is delighted to announce that the village has been awarded Silver Gilt in this year's South & South East in Bloom competition, marking an impressive achievement in our very first year of entering the awards. Silver Gilt sits just one level below Gold, making this a fantastic result for Southwater and everyone involved.

The award ceremony took place last Friday at the beautiful RHS Wisley Gardens, where Southwater Parish Council's Senior Operations Officer and Community Engagement Officer proudly represented the parish. Both officers played a leading role in coordinating and delivering the many improvements, projects and preparations that formed part of our In Bloom entry.

South & South East in Bloom is part of the wider Britain in Bloom initiative and celebrates the work communities do to improve their local environment. The awards recognise not only horticultural displays and attractive green spaces, but also environmental responsibility, biodiversity and community involvement.

The Parish Council's entry showcased a range of recent improvements across Southwater, including enhancement works at the War Memorial, wildflower planting at Nutham Lane Village Green, Raylands Park and their outstanding conservation and environmental efforts, our upgrades to play areas and open spaces, maintenance of village assets, and more community projects. These initiatives demonstrated our commitment to creating a welcoming, attractive and sustainable environment for residents and visitors alike.

Receiving a Silver Gilt award on our first attempt is a wonderful achievement and reflects the hard work of Parish Council staff, volunteers and the wider community. We are incredibly proud of this recognition and look forward to building on this success in the years ahead. Congratulations to everyone who helped put Southwater on the In Bloom map.