RHS Britain in Bloom 2024

October 21, 2024 /
The RHS Judges with Bath in Bloom Committee Members on the judging route

This was our 60th anniversary year and we were determined to make it a year to remember: we had our eyes on the Britain in Bloom National Finals. Having won Best Small City in the RHS South West in Bloom competition, we were invited by the RHS to take part in the national finals.

Our meticulous route planning started in earnest. Who were we going to meet, where will we visit, what problems might we encounter? Pounding the streets, driving the route, examining every inch, making copious notes, became the norm for weeks on end.

August 14th was judging day. The day started well. The sun was shining, which always helps and the route, which was planned with military precision, ran like clockwork (which was a first). The day ended with smiles all round and with us feeling quietly confident. Now the wait: over 2 months until our fate was known in Manchester.

In the meantime, the BBC One Show had arranged to film Bath in Bloom as part of the year’s RHS Friendship Theme. Great fun, although five and a half hours of filming came down to five minutes of broadcasting!

Then October 21st arrived, the Awards at Manchester United’s football ground with about 340 people in attendance from all over the UK.

Bath were in the Small City category. We were delighted to receive a Gold and then thrilled to go on to win Best in Category. Our mission was accomplished!

Then the big award, the 2024 National Britain in Bloom Champion. We knew we had put on a good show this year but had no idea we were in the running. With the BBC One Show filming this award on stage and the Radio 2 presenter Richie Anderson hyping up the audience with a rehearsal before filming live: the announcement seemed to take an eternity. 

Suddenly we heard the word “Bath”. The penny dropped and out of the blue, we were RHS 2024 Britain in Bloom Champions!

What a day it turned out to be, and it was all because of a lot of hard work from all sorts of organisations, volunteers, It’s Your Neighbourhood community groups, Bath in Bloom, Bath BID, and Bath’s wonderful Parks team, all pulling together. What an achievement!

The following days involved more TV appearances on local news stations, radio interviews, quotes for media articles. We had finally enjoyed our “15 minutes of fame”. A great year for Bath, Britain in Bloom, and friendship.