YEAR 1, 2001

Hayle's Britain in Bloom Group was formed in January 2000 at a Public Meeting called by the then Mayor of Hayle, Mr David Barrett, with an aim to enter the Britain in Bloom Competitions to enhance and beautify our Town of Hayle here in Cornwall.  We received strong support from the town council and especially the town clerk, Vivien Parsons. However, the first meeting of the group was not held until January 2001 when a 'working party' was set up and our first entry which was judged on 26 July gained a Highly Commended Award.

At the meeting held on 28 February 2002, Mr Richard Selby-Boothroyd took over the Chairmanship from Mr Don McGeorge who had agreed at the outset to chair any meetings until such time as a Committee was formed (this was very much appreciated by the Working Party). We were also very grateful to the Hayle Town Trust who agreed to be the caretakers of any monies raised until we had set up our own bank account.

YEAR 2, 2002

Our 2nd year of entry into the Britain in Bloom Competition was in July 2002 and at the Awards Presentation at the Bath & West Show Showground in Somerset on Friday 06 September, Hayle won a Silver Gilt Award and also the Sargent Trophy for outstanding effort and dedication from a competition entry.

A Hayle in Bloom Project outside the Town Swimming Pool

YEAR 3, 2003

On Thursday, 17 July 2003, the Judges visited Hayle and on Friday, 05 September at the Awards Presentation in Shepton Mallett, Hayle were delighted to receive a Gold Award and also the London & Manchester Trophy for outstanding contribution to environmental initiative for small Towns/Villages.

YEAR 4, 2004

At the meeting held in February 2004 the Chairman decided to step down due to pressure of other commitments and Mrs Marjorie Roberts, who was also the Mayor of Hayle at that time, was elected the new Chairman. At that meeting a Committee was formed to be known as 'Hayle in Bloom' and Mrs Margaret Tanner was elected as Secretary and Mrs Sarah Turk was elected as Treasurer.

Following the judging on Friday, 16 July 2004 the Awards Presentation was held at the Bristol Flower Show on Thursday 26 August. Hayle won a Silver Gilt Award and whilst we were disappointed at not winning 'Gold' we felt we did very well considering the horrendous gales and rain which wreaked havoc in Hayle and other Towns in the South West just a couple of weeks before judging took place.

YEAR 5, 2005

The Awards Presentations on Thursday, 08 September 2005 were held at Hestercombe Gardens in Taunton Somerset following the judging which took place on Tuesday, 19 July. Hayle did very well by winning a Silver Gilt Award and also the South West Travel Association Cup for Towns.

During 2005, our Treasurer, Mrs Sarah Turk entered Hayle in Bloom for a B.& Q. Award and we were delighted when we learned that we came second in over 2,000 entries and were awarded a cheque valued £2,500.00 to enhance our Swimming Pool. This award was for materials and plants supplied by B.& Q. and all the labour had to be done by ourselves so we are particularly grateful to all those who volunteered their most valuable help at that time. It certainly made Hayle Swimming Pool a place to be proud of

Hayle in Bloom also applied for a grant from the Liveability Fund and were delighted to learn that on 14 October 2005 we had been awarded £2,040 towards purchasing various items of tools, planters and other horticultural equipment. The money was to be spent by 31 March 2006 which proved no problem at all!

YEAR 6, 2006

The 2006 Presentation event was held on Thursday, 07 September at the English Riviera Centre at Torquay in Devon to hear the results of the judging which took place in Hayle on Friday 14 July. This event was the crowning glory for Hayle and all those from Hayle who travelled to the event in the coach organised by Penwith District Council were absolutely ecstatic that all their hard work was so deservedly rewarded.

First up was a new category called the Neighbourhood Awards for which Hayle was rewarded with a Certificate for our Adopt-A-Plot Scheme for work done at Hayle Swimming Pool. One of our Committee Members, Mrs Ann Foreman agreed to be the Co-Ordinator. Ann has been fantastic and has recruited 9 Adopt-A-Plot volunteers who adopt a plot around the Town to help the gardeners with weeding etc. They are very valued. There were no cups or prizes for this Category but each Town or Village that entered received a Certificate.

Next came the announcement of the Schools Painting Competition and Hayle excelled with Victoria Emberson from Hayle Community School winning 1st prize. A wonderful achievement. We'd hardly returned to our seats when we were back on stage to receive our Gold Award and also the South West Travel Association Cup. It was then announced that Hayle had won the Abbiss Cup for the best municipal planting of a Roundabout. Our Roundabout at Loggans was voted the best in the whole of the South West and special congratulations must go our 3 wonderful gardeners. It goes without saying that this Cup was well and truly christened at a stop off for refreshment on the way home!

Following our successes at Torquay, we attended the Penwith Presentations hosted by Mr Brian Hosken and his Team from Penwith District Council at Tregenna Castle Hotel on 02 November 2006. It was announced that Hayle in Bloom had been selected to enter the National Urban Community Category of Britain in Bloom next year.

We have come so far in such a short time but we are a super group and will certainly rise to the challenge to make our Town of Hayle a place to proud of.

YEAR 7, 2007

Judging for the South West Region was on Wednesday, 18 July and our judges were Tony Moore and Ruth Miles. The judging for the National Britain in Bloom competition was on Wednesday, 1 August and this time we were judged by Roger Burnett and John Woodward.

South West in Bloom

Thirty-three members of Hayle in Bloom attended the awards ceremony which, for the very first time, was held at the Tregenna Castle Hotel at St. Ives. The weather was damp and dismal; such a shame for the 350 people who attended from many towns in Cornwall and up to Bristol and beyond.

After a 'Cornish-style' buffet lunch the presentations began.  Our first good news was a Neighbourhood Award, Certificate of Merit for the Millpool Gardens. Congratulations to Georgina Schofield and her team and to the PDC gardeners.

And the big news was that we have taken the GOLD in South West Tourist Association Cup category for the second year running. We did not snag the cup this year - that went to Sherbourne. Having visited Sherbourne recently I can confirm that they put on a beautiful show and are deserving winners. But - we can beat them next year!
Roger Burnett, said "Hayle is a very accomplished and well-organised entry with strong community involvement. We were very impressed with the high standard of floral displays in the public areas, especially Penpol Gardens."

Britain in Bloom, 2007

At the award ceremony in Coventry Cathedral on the 26th of September 2007, Hayle was awarded Silver Gilt in the Urban Category of Britain in Bloom. The award categories are Bronze, Silver, Silver-Gilt and Gold. Getting Silver-Gilt in our first attempt at the national competition is a marvellous achievement. The winner in our category was Uddingston in Scotland - congratulations to them.

There was another well-deserved award made for individuals who have dedicated so much of their time to the Britain in Bloom cause - the Shredded Wheat Community Champions.  Congratulations to the person in Hayle we all would have chosen: Marjorie Roberts.  Well done Marjorie and thanks for all of your years of hard work.

Marjorie Roberts receives her award from actress Susan Hampshire.

YEAR 8, 2008

Hayle takes the SWTA Cup!

Copperhouse Pool and St. Elwyn's Church