Guildford in Bloom To Flower Into Virtual Reality This Year

Published on: 25 Apr, 2020
Updated on: 27 Apr, 2020

How does your garden grow these days, with all these hours at home? Now, for the 39th year, the borough’s favourite gardening competition Guildford in Bloom (#GiB2020) is scheduled for July, but with an innovative twist: it’s gone online.

With so many at home stay safe, protect our NHS and save lives, this is the new way for us all to come together and celebrate our blooming great gardens of any size or shape (including window-boxes or containers) using social media. Plus the chance to win some amazing prizes.

Cllr Paul Spooner (Con, Ash South & Tongham), chairman of Guildford in Bloom said: “I’m so pleased we have adapted and found a way to continue with our incredibly popular and much-loved community competition this year. GiB has always shown the wonderful community spirit that we are experiencing so much of now throughout our borough and beyond during these unprecedented times.

“We have a deep-rooted relationship with gardening and it’s always a pleasure to see families and businesses come together and enhance our town with amazing colours. We hope you all have fun entering the competition and we look forward to seeing all the fabulous pictures that are going to be sent in, especially our new wonky veg category.”

“With lockdown, gardening is a great hobby to get stuck into and even just start from scratch. It is known for having short- and long-term mental and physical health benefits and it can be great fun. Our Parks and Countryside teams are doing all they can to maintain our green spaces and we can see this on our daily walks. This year we had planned the theme in the Castle Grounds to celebrate VE day and a beautiful bed will still be planted in the next few weeks.

“But please do remember to be considerate to neighbours and don’t light bonfires to get rid of garden or household waste. Please see www.guildford.gov.uk/article/23824/Waste-guidance-for-Coronavirus-self-isolating for tips on waste, bins and recycling.”

The new virtual gardening social media competition is open to all residents and businesses of Guildford. In previous years there were two separate competitions, now there will only be one.

Those entering should submit their photos via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and will need to tag Guildford in Bloom, using #GIB2020 or, if you are of school age, #GuildfordsBloomingKids and use the category hashtag.

You can only have one entry per person, per category. The four categories for entry are:
• Garden Colour #GardenColour;
• Vegetables #Vegetables;
• Wildlife #Wildlife; and
• Wonky Veg #Wonkyveg.

Entries close on Sunday, July 19. The judges will shortlist the top 10 entries which then go to a “people’s vote” for two weeks, the winner being announced on Monday, August 17.

The winner of #GIB2020 will receive a £60 RHS Wisley gift voucher and the winner of #GuildfordsBloomingKids will win a family ticket to RHS Wisley.

For more information on how to enter, please visit: www.guildford.gov.uk/guildfordinbloom