St Albans Roads in Bloom winners crowned

KEEN gardeners David Bell and Marc Rowlands scooped the top prize in a new competition after transforming their pocket-sized front garden into a little bit of paradise.

The duo, of Bedford Road, St Albans, took first prize in the Roads in Bloom competition organised by a resident of two roads which suffered weeks of upheaval over sewerage works attached to a nearby new housing scheme.

The competition was held to mark the end of the work and give Bedford Road and Inkerman Road a spruce-up as well as raise money for two charities at the same time.

Dave Glanville who organised it, declared it so successful that a second Roads in Bloom competition is planned for next summer.

The competition was judged by local councillor Chris White who tried to help residents during the upheaval from the sewerage work carried out in the two roads as part of the London Road Project scheme to turn the former Evershed’s site in London Road into a new housing development. He was joined as judge by Eric Van Geesbergen of Aylett Nurseries on the North Orbital Road which was the main sponsor and awarded voucher prizes to the three winners and runner up.

The presentation took place on Saturday afternoon at the White Hart Tap in Keyfield Terrace which donated a keg of beer while new local brewery The Three Brewers provided beer and Derbyshire Autos contributed £50 towards the cost of Prosecco.

The competition and a raffle raised nearly £600 for two charities – Rennie Grove Hospice Care and the Alex Curtis Trust which works to raise raise awareness of asthma in schools.

Dave thanked everyone who had entered the competition and said the first Roads in Bloom competition had been admired by many.