Kensington and Chelsea rose to the occasion at London’s 2022 in Bloom Awards, amassing a total of nine trophies for their green spaces.
The annual London Bloom Awards were held on Wednesday 21 September in an effort to promote biodiversity in the city and encourage the continued development of vibrant green spaces.
The awards recognise communities across Greater London for their positive changes in sustainability, community effort and creative planting.
With Kensington and Chelsea Council working closely with environmental groups such as the Brighter Kensington and Chelsea Scheme, Kensington Gardeners Club and Chelsea Gardens Guild, it is no surprise that the borough ranked so highly in this year’s awards, achieving three gold and six silver awards.
Cllr Emma Will, Kensington and Chelsea’s Lead Member for Leisure, said: “Hats off to all concerned – this is a tremendous achievement for such a small, densely populated borough and we are determined to continue our work to green our neighbourhoods.
“It’s always inspiring to see how committed the local community is to our borough and their appreciation of how important all of our limited green spaces can be.
“I’d also like to thank all those involved in our community kitchen gardens and the Parks Team for their work and the support and advice they give to community groups.”
Among the list of places that scooped a Gold award for being ‘outstanding’ in imaginative planting, cleanliness, sustainability and community effort were Holland Park, St Luke’s Gardens and Gunnersbury Cemetery.
Avondale Park, Emslie Horniman Pleasance, Kensington Memorial Park, Westfield Park, Cremorne Gardens and Little Wormwood Scrubs all won silver for ranking ‘very good.’
The ‘Its Your Neighbourhood Category’ saw a further 12 community kitchen gardens in the borough awarded, with Olympia station, St Quintin’s, Oxford Gardens and Warwick Road Triangle receiving the highest grade, five.
Feature Image Credit: Holland Park, Kyoto Garden: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
