Transformed Plymouth suburb crowned Devon Village of the Year

A group of green-fingered residents in Woolwell have transformed their estate’s gardens so much that they have been classed as a village by South West in Bloom judges – and been named the best in Devon.

Woolwell in Bloom volunteers run 26 gardens in the suburb, and have even registered themselves as a charity to be able to do more work on sprucing up their community’s green spaces.

This year’s Britain in Bloom awards saw them awarded Gold in the village of the year competition – as there is no ‘estate’ category – and go on to win the pennant for Devon’s Village of the Year.

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What’s more, they have now officially opened a new multi-use pathway for wheelchair users and others with mobility issues, which is just one of the projects which they hope will stand them in good stead for more awards nexy year.

Chairperson Soraya Lewis-Coleman explained to PlymouthLive's sister print title The Herald: “The South West in Bloom don’t recognise an estate, so there is no category for us – and it seems that we are the only one in the whole of the South West that enter. It’s either villages, hamlets, towns or cities. So they have always put us in the village category.

“This year we got Gold for our entry, and because we got that, we got forwarded to the next level, which was Best Village in Devon – they break it down as the South West is so huge – and we won that.”

“We also did a standalone project called ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ with the Woolwell Centre’s after-school club and our two celebration displays.

“The theme was celebrations and togetherness, and we got Level 5 Outstanding for that, which is the highest award that we could get.

“So we got three top awards and obviously the trophy.”

But far from dwelling on the successes they have already secured, they are eyeing up more accolades in next year’s Britain in Bloom regional competition.

Their new pathway in the Jubilee Garden in Woolwell was officially unveiled on October 26, in a ceremony which was moved back due to a storm.

The group fundraised around £4,000 for the path, and invited residents to an official opening, with the ribbon cut by two residents who are also wheelchair users.

This week, Mrs Lewis-Coleman gave a speech at a meeting of the Plymouth Octopus Project on their future plans, which includes starting up a ‘Junior Bloomers’ section one Saturday a month for young people to get involved in.

And residents are already involved in a project making Christmas -themed scarecrows which will be judged at the Woolwell Centre’s Christmas Fair and dotted around gardens and suitable areas all the way up to Christmas as part of an unofficial trail.

Mrs Lewis-Coleman said: “We will also get credit [from judges] for the fact that a resident in Woolwell offered to sort out our social media so we have our own Facebook page now, and our own website.

“That was the one recommendation that the judges had put forward for us for next year, but we had already done it after judging but before results.

“So we are already on the way to keeping our Gold – hopefully.”

The opening of the pathway is the culmination of years of fundraising by the group, with the path leading to a commemmorative bench which was donated by Bickleigh Parish Council as a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Mrs Lewis-Coleman added: “We actually had the opening on Saturday, October 26, and two lovely local residents who are in wheelchairs did a joint opening together, and cut the ribbon.

“We had an amazing turnout of residents, children scattered wildflower seeds to create a wildflower meadow and we planted some spring bulbs too. It was an amazing day.”

She continued: “We’ve got new things planned for the future as well – as every year the RHS expect a new project, and we can’t create any more gardens.

“We have already got 26 of them, so the 17 Bloomers that do the gardens, we feel that’s enough.

“But we could do things within the community still, so this month we’ve asked local residents to make Christmas-themed scarecrows which will be judged on November 30 at the Woolwell Centre’s Christmas Fair.

“We’ve asked them then to put the scarecrows out in their gardens or somewhere safe and suitable, because every year quite a few of our cul-de-sacs do a grand Christmas lights show and people walk around the estate and look at all the houses lit up.

“It’s amazing, and our cul-de-sac I think you could probably see from the Moon!

“But we thought if we did the scarecrows then people might see them when they are out looking at the lights, so it will be a sort of unofficial trail.

“It’s a pleasure do it because the community love it.”