Top accolade for blooming Battle cemetery

The town was named the winner during a ceremony at Brighton and Hove Albion’s American Express Community Stadium on Friday (September 11). The judges look at each entry’s horticulture and gardening efforts, approach to environmental responsibility and community participation. Battle Town Councillor Glenna Favell joined gardener Gary Champion at the ceremony. She said: “It is such a privilege to win this award again as everyone works so hard.” The awards ceremony was co-hosted by Jim Buttress – seen on BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge – and fellow celebrity gardener Chris Collins. The event is sponsored by Southern Water. Southern Water’s water efficiency manager, Ben Earl, said: “This is a great competition that celebrates the South East and its beautiful places and spaces. “Southern Water has been a proud sponsor of the event for over a decade and a half and in that time we been able to help thousands of gardeners save water through the promotion of water efficiency. “Thank you South East in Bloom and the gardeners of the South East!” South and South East in Bloom is the largest horticultural campaign in the region involving hundreds of communities each year. In the past 15 years the competition has judged more than 3,000 gardens, parks and other outside spaces across the region. Bloom chairman, Peter Holman, said: “The number of entrants has increased by 700 per cent since the partnership began in 2000. “Over that time we have helped change attitudes about the conservation of water and scarce resources.”