07:49 Thursday October 16th 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
DOTTY MCLEOD: Wisbech is in the hat for a top prize at the Britain in Bloom Awards later on. The town has already won in this year’s Anglia in Bloom awards, picking up the Large Town prize. Now it’s up against the rest of the country. After their success among the towns in the east, our reporter spoke to some of the winning group at the award ceremony.
(TAPE)
GENTLEMAN: Well we won the Best Large Town.
LADY: We’ve won the Best Conservation Area. And we’ve won an award for the Age 12 to 18 Schoolchildren.
GENTLEMAN: Best Environmental Display.
LADY: Best Environmental. Yes. So boo to all those people who say Wisbech is not a really really nice place to live.
REPORTER: You’ve got the smiles, all across this table.
GENTLEMAN: That’s right. Well I think I have, because I think it’s a fantastic achievement, not only for myself and <my friend> but also for all the group. It’s been a brilliant year. It’s been a tough year. We never thought we’d get Large Town again. However we felt quietly confident about the Gold, and we’re really really pleased that we’ve got both of them.
REPORTER: Best Local Authority Display. You’ve got so many of them. What are you going to do with them all?
LADY: Well we do have a cabinet in our Information Centre where we can put them on display. But this is our seventh Gold, and you know what they say about the higher the top, the longer the drop. So you can see we’re very nervous when we’re at these awards, because we want to keep Wisbech up there. We want some good news about Wisbech to be spread.
REPORTER: You mentioned that. It’s like you’re worried that people have this wrong impression of Wisbech. But the flowers and the displays you put on must make a big difference.
LADY: Yes they do. I think Wisbech would be very sad without it. But as I’m sure you know, we manage to attract all the bad publicity as well. But Wisbech is on the up, and we’re really looking forward to contributing towards it.
GENTLEMAN: We’re also exceptionally pleased to get a Gold again in Best Large Town, as in four weeks time we’re heading down to Bristol for the RHS Great Britain in Bloom Awards. And to go down there with a Gold in the Best Large Town has got to stand us in good stead for the result down there. And we’re quietly confident. So let’s hope we come away with the result. We’ll either be crying or we’ll be still crying with happiness. But I’m sure we’ll come away with some sort of result.
(LIVE)
DOTTY MCLEOD: So watch this space. Will they win one of the top prizes at the Britain in Bloom Awards later on? That was a very proud group of gardeners talking after winning some of the Anglia in Bloom Awards. Will they get one of the top ones later on today? Keep listening to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and I’ll be bound that you will find out.
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