Oswestry in Bloom is a Committee comprising of a limited number of individuals who work tirelessly to improve the visual appearance and quality of life of the locals and visitors to Oswestry.

The 2022 Oswestry in Bloom Awards were presented on Saturday 1^st October.

Gardening expert Margaret Thrower, once again kindly gave her time and commitment to judge the entries, which she has done over the previous 20 years.

The event was opened and closed by the Mayor of Oswestry, Councillor Jay Moore who thanked the Oswestry In Bloom Committee for their hard work and success over the year.

The Chair, Natalie Bainbridge, praised Oswestry for the outstanding performance in the Heart of England in Bloom competition and proudly announced that Oswestry had won another Gold Award in the Large Town Category along with Best in Category Award. A Gold Award for Cae Glas Park had also been accepted along with an Outstanding award for OsNosh in the "It's Your Neighbourhood" Competition. Thanks were given to everyone who took part.

The presentation to winners started with The Chair's Award to Nick and Angela O'Connor for their work in rejuvenating Chapel Court over several years.

The Mayor and Margaret Thrower then presented various awards to successful entrants and each category winner received an annual trophy.

Margaret Thrower commented that she was always very thrilled to be invited to judge Oswestry in Bloom; there was always great community spirit and the standard of entries was always very high.

After the main awards a special presentation was made to Betty Gull, who recently retired as the Chair of the In Bloom Committee. She had been the driving force behind Oswestry In Bloom for 21 successful years and had now been appointed Honorary President of the Committee. In a heartfelt speech she commended the residents of Oswestry for their outstanding community spirit and great sense of pride for their town, and applauded the efforts of all the gardeners and businesses that have taken part throughout the year.

The event concluded with Natalie Bainbridge highlighting that "In Bloom" competitions were designed to encourage people to take pride in their town. Not only do the Heart of England judges award points for great horticulture, they also award points for community and education projects. Oswestry In Bloom is very much a team effort and the Committee are always looking for more volunteers to help.

If you would like to help the In Bloom Committee, then please contact Louise Humphreys on 01691 680222. All offers of help are greatly appreciated and if you have specialist skill, then you may be invited to join the Bloom Committee.