· Chesterfield in Bloom
5:05pm to 5:30pm
Minutes:
The Assistant Cabinet Member, Councillor Ray Catt, and the Principal Green Space Strategy Officer attended to provide members with an update on the recent entry to the East Midlands in Bloom competition. The results of the regional competition would be announced on 13th September and there would be a ceremony on 25th September at Ringwood Hall to announce the winners of the Chesterfield in Bloom (CIB) competition.
The Principal Green Space Strategy Officer gave Members an overview of the East Midlands in Bloom competition which included details of the Council’s submission. The judges’ visit, which took place on 7th July, started with a 15 minute presentation by the council’s officers and CIB committee. A CIB portfolio was also produced to capture anything that was not seen on the day such as school gardens.
One area assessed by the judges was community participation and this category carried a significant weighting. Judges were interested in bulb planting, press releases, the use of social media, campaigns to promote CIB and how participation in projects was encouraged. To increase community participation the CIB committee had made school visits to encourage more involvement with the competition and arranged litter picks with volunteers; the portfolio document detailed the different groups that the committee had been working with.
The Principal Green Space Strategy Officer showed Members a video of a project funded by Marks and Spencer’s to create a new garden area in Holme Hall to support community cohesion. Work to create the garden had been undertaken by employees from Marks and Spencer’s, Chesterfield Borough Council, local school children and the community group, Holme Hall Unite. This presented an example of how small spaces could be used to create community garden areas with collaboration between community groups, schools and the council.
Initiatives used in Belper, which had been identified as the property hotspot of the year, were being examined to understand how they had improved the economic prosperity of the town and made it a more attractive area to live and work.
CIB were undergoing talks with Brimington Parish Council and Staveley Town Council to find ways of working together on projects. Discussions were also taking place with the Housing department to explore the possibility of having a category specific for council tenants. Members commented that Chesterfield Royal Hospital was having issues with cigarette ends outside the hospital doors and there was an enthusiasm to work with the community to create a garden area.
Members had concerns with how the judges’ visits were carried out and noted that members of the community groups were not introduced to the judges. The Assistant Cabinet Member responded that the CIB committee were given the opportunity to guide the judges as they had been the driving force behind the submission and had been briefed on the role. The Principal Green Space Strategy Officer added that they wanted to move away from it being predominantly council led however he would consider the members suggestions regarding introductions.
The Assistant Cabinet Member advised members that he had been given CIB as a special project under his Cabinet role and he had also been involved in CIB for several years. The first priority was to ensure that there was still a submission by Chesterfield for East Midlands in Bloom next year; however more community involvement was needed. It was noted that CIB could work with the council to improve the aesthetic of the town and help promote it as a tourist destination. He added that the achievements in the East Midlands in Bloom competition needed to be more visible and used as a tool for promotion.
Members discussed some of the opportunities that were coming up which could help to support the vision of CIB. Brimington Parish Council had organised its first open garden competition which would take place on Saturday 19th August with 12 gardens involved. Members also noted that the community litter picks in Barrow Hill had received good support from the local community. The Principal Green Space Strategy Officer replied that more connections were needed with tenancy participation officers as they were aware of what was needed in the neighbourhoods. New categories for CIB were being developed and the Principal Green Space Strategy Officer would send out more information to members when it was available. A re-brand of the name “Chesterfield in Bloom” was also been considered.
Members thanked the Assistant Cabinet Member and the Principal Green Space Strategy Officer for providing the update and answering their questions.
RESOLVED –
1. That the update be noted.
2. That the Committee be notified of the results of Chesterfield’s submission to the East Midlands in Bloom competition.