A meeting was held recently of the Westfield in Bloom network, convened by Eleanor Jackson, as Chair, and Pat Williams as Treasurer, while Ellen Vaughan of Shakespeare Road is running the only project at present directly under the committee’s management.

Other members are representatives of the highly successful ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ entries in South West in Bloom or are Westfield Parish Council Councillors who were involved in Westfield in Bloom’s well received beginners’ entry in South West in Bloom. The group work closely with Rob Wicke, the contractor who provides the much admired hanging baskets and with litter-picking and street cleaning teams.

There was much discussion of what theme should be adopted for the 2023 (Ayre Cup class) entry. Westfield’s great success over a number of years has been individual ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood entries’ but what is a ‘neighbourhood’? South West in Bloom has a very flexible approach. What is a community? What colour themes, given that other competitors will choose coronation themes? We need to stand out with a ‘wow’ factor. The answer seems to be, ‘It’s Our Neighbourhood.’ We are proud of Westfield’s achievements, and not just in the past, as demonstrated in Radstock Museum’s History of Westfield exhibition in 2017, but our aspirations for the future, especially the Waterside environmental project, the new council offices, improved play areas and so on. More funding is needed, but also more volunteers, both for the individual projects and generally. We also need ideas. What do people think a ‘neighbourhood’ is? How can that be expressed in floral displays, like Elm Tree Avenue, and community vegetable growing? The waste land could be transformed.

Larch Court allotments

Fosseway School gardens

Swallows Office Garden

Westfield Primary School

Westfield Allotments and Garden Society

Are the award-winning 2022 entries, now entered again, but there is scope for more, and in the autumn for more tree planting. Westfield parish council will no doubt continue its front garden and its Christmas lights competitions. Advice, and buckets of it, is on hand for beginners.

Contact Eleanor Jackson on 07979968416 or [email protected] or via Westfield Parish Council. Eleanor Jackson