Rochdale Town Centre has been selected as one of the best in the North West and is now competing for a win in the 2024 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Britain in Bloom UK Finals.
The nomination means Rochdale will compete with the best in the UK, including London’s Canary Wharf, Dorset’s Shaftesbury, and Farnham in Surrey, which are also nominated in the Town Centre and City Centre category.
The lens on the town centre will be wider and more focused than ever before, with a theme based on cooperation and friendship, 2 traits that are engrained in the town’s culture and heritage and will demonstrate why Rochdale should take the crown as the best town centre in the UK.
Councillor Liam O’Rourke, the council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, said:
“What another achievement that Rochdale Town Centre is recognised again by North West in Bloom judges as one of the best in the UK and put forward for the national award.
“Achieving success does not happen by chance and comes down to the hard graft of our dedicated council teams working alongside many In Bloom and other community groups, local businesses, and volunteers to ensure our town centre will be ready to welcome judges. This is another fantastic opportunity for the town centre to shine in the same year that the historic Rochdale Town Hall reopens its doors.”
Work is underway to take on the challenge of beating the 2023 tally of 25 gold awards across the borough.
Councillor Phil Massey, who is leading on the Rochdale entry, added:
“What an honour for our stunning town centre to be nominated for this prestigious national RHS award, on the back of 2 previous gold awards and Rochdale being recognised as the Best Small City in 2022. It’s a credit to the council, community groups, and local businesses, including Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale Development Agency, and Rochdale Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), working cooperatively with the dedicated volunteers of the Rochdale in Bloom committee, who have truly laid the groundwork for this outstanding opportunity to show off our stunning town centre in all of its glory.
“Rochdale is a place where we blend our diverse heritage and historic architecture with modern homes, retail, functional public realm, art, culture, and horticulture to create a place that residents can be proud to call home and visitors look forward to returning.
"We’ll be showing the judges everything that our fabulous town centre has to offer and why we are proud to call Rochdale our home.”
Spotland and Falinge will also be put forward in the Urban Areas category, proving that the borough of Rochdale is regarded among the best in the UK.
Across in nearby towns, work is underway in Heywood, Middleton, and Pennines (Firgrove, Littleborough, Milnrow, Newhey, Smallbridge and Wardle) to prepare for North West in Bloom judging and to take on the challenge of beating the 2023 tally of an impressive 25 gold awards across the borough.
Judging dates are expected to be between Monday, 29 July 2024 and Friday, 16 August 2024.