Leominster in Bloom won gold and, for the first time, the Town category at the RHS Heart of England in Bloom awards. It goes on to the 2027 national finals.

Leominster has been named the best town in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Heart of England in Bloom awards for the first time, as well as winning a gold award once again, and will now be judged for the 2027 national finals.

The awards were presented at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern on 22 October. Romey Worthington, Viv Melia and Virginia Furness collected the gold award on behalf of the members and volunteers of Leominster in Bloom, a registered charity (number 1178381). The group’s press release says they were “surprised and delighted” to hear that Leominster had also won the Town category, something it had never done before.

Winning the category means the RHS national judges will come to Leominster next year, shortly after the usual regional judging in July, to assess the town for the national competition of Britain in Bloom.

What the judges said

The regional judges, who toured the town on 10 July, wrote of this year’s entry:

“Leominster is a delightful town in north Herefordshire. It is made even more attractive by the contribution made by volunteers and local Council staff who combine in making Leominster in Bloom such an asset to the town.

“First impressions count whether you are a resident, a visitor or a judge for Heart of England in Bloom. Thank you for the warm welcome we received on arrival and for the excellent portfolio which provided evidence of Bloom activity throughout the year.”

A group of people sitting on a low wall in front of a bed of pink flowers and a sheep sculpture in Leominster
Volunteers and visitors on the judging tour in front of the flower bed around the Lady Baa Baa sheep statue. Photo: supplied by Leominster in Bloom

A hard summer for the plants

Geoffrey Crofts, chairman of Leominster in Bloom, said the heat made 2026 a difficult year:

“It makes all the hard work worthwhile: the planting, the watering and the fundraising. 2026 was a hard year for the plants, and our volunteers, due to the heatwaves. We relied on all our volunteers and the local community to keep the planters going while the plants established themselves. We are grateful to everyone for that, as well as for the enthusiastic engagement with the theme ‘Winnie the Pooh and his literary friends’. The involvement of the local community makes all the difference.”

Kathy Jones of Leominster in Bloom told Hereford Today that the flowers are only part of what is judged:

“It’s not just about providing beautiful floral displays, it’s also about community involvement and protecting the environment. We have over 60 sponsors, local businesses and charities.”

She described the work behind each year’s entry: “The work involves choosing a theme (children’s books was an inspired choice for 2026), selecting plants for the town centre planters, keeping them alive during heat waves, caring for and renewing our permanent planting, and of course fund raising to support it all.”

People in summer clothes looking at a roadside bed of pink and white flowers in Leominster
The judging party looking at a roadside flower bed in Leominster. Photo: supplied by Leominster in Bloom

What the town did this year

The group sets out its year for the judges in a portfolio, organised around the RHS’s three judging areas of horticulture, community and environment. The 2026 theme, Winnie the Pooh and his Literary Friends, was launched on 18 January, national Winnie the Pooh day, as the group’s answer to the National Year of Reading.

Among the work it records:

  • The town centre planters, sponsored by more than 60 local businesses, charities and community groups and planted all year round. Leominster in Bloom buys the plants and Philpotts nursery gives its staff’s time to plant them.
  • Lady Baa Baa, the group’s statue of a Ryeland sheep marking the medieval wool trade. Her bed was stripped and relaid with about 8 tons of topsoil; 190 thrift plants were lifted and repotted and 800 plug plants were grown on before planting out.
  • The Nut Grove, a quiet space for wildlife and people, which gained a rose hedge, an entrance arch, bird boxes and a sign on its history. A £1,000 grant from the Kingspan Planet Passionate Fund is paying for new benches there.
  • The Buttercross, the covered passage between the central car park and the shopping streets, turned into an “enchanted pathway” of butterflies, flowers and children’s books, decorated with help from 1st Leominster Beavers and 2nd Leominster Brownies. Members donated books for children to read there or take home.
  • The Cider Mill bed near Aldi, now with a bug hotel, hedgehog house, bird box and a memorial board to past members and supporters, and the old oil drums in the central car park, emptied, redecorated and replanted.
Planters of lime green and pink plants outside a shop window in Leominster, with people looking on
Planters outside a shop on the judging route in Leominster. Photo: supplied by Leominster in Bloom

On the environmental side, the group tested several peat-free composts and chose the best, which was also the cheapest, though it needs more watering. Spent compost goes to the allotments, compost bags are reused, and fewer hanging baskets are used because they need so much water. Leominster Town Council leaves grass clippings to compost, keeps more areas unmown, including for No Mow May, and is developing wildflower meadows around the town.

Schools took part through art and gardening competitions, and a seeds and stories project took members into schools to plant seeds with children, followed by storytelling in the Secret Gardens in May. The group also runs two plant and craft fairs a year with up to 30 stalls, and has more than 1,900 followers on Facebook, 300 more than a year earlier.

A bed of pink thrift and white flowers around a grey sheep sculpture in Leominster
Thrift and summer bedding around the Lady Baa Baa sheep statue. Photo: supplied by Leominster in Bloom

Who made it happen

The judging day tour on 10 July lasted two hours and started and ended at the Grange. According to the group’s judging day page, the judges were accompanied by the Mayor, Gill Nichols, and Stuart Sidebotham, the town council’s grounds and environmental services supervisor. His team moved the Winnie the Pooh benches made by pupils of Earl Mortimer College from the Nut Grove to the library so the judges could see them.

The acknowledgements page of the portfolio lists the sponsors alongside dozens of volunteers and supporters, from Philpotts and Hintons nurseries to Richard Barlow, who cleans streets without payment, and the volunteer litter pickers. The group’s thank-you list runs from “planting seeds” and “climbing ladders” to “nagging sponsors for their money”.

A window display of children's books and a bookcase of children's books in Leominster
Children's books on show along the judging route, in keeping with the 2026 theme. Photo: supplied by Leominster in Bloom

What it means for you

The national judges are due in Leominster next summer. The group’s portfolio lists plans for 2027 that include more work on the Corn Square planters, a row of Rosa rugosa for people coming into town from Monkland, new benches at the Nut Grove and more signs telling the Leominster in Bloom story.

Anyone who wants to help, sponsor a planter or hear about events can contact the group at leominsterinbloom1@gmail.com or through its website. The group’s portfolio lists the Victorian Market among the town events it takes part in to raise funds; this year’s Leominster Victorian Christmas Market is on Saturday 12 December.