The 2003 Season...

The summer of 2003 proved one of the best for Falkland in Bloom, for it is no exaggeration to say that the village had never looked better, with the superb summer weather ensuring the floral displays were the finest ever. Considerably more baskets, tended by teams of volunteers manning our tractor-driven watering system, helped add to the look of the village and made an impact for all visitors coming to see what Falkland has to offer.

Although the main aim of Falkland In Bloom is simply to make an already attractive community even better, entry in a whole series of competitions has followed almost inevitably and our success in recent years has been very pleasing. Judges visited the village in numbers during June, July and August and found much to their liking, it seems, when Falkland was declared best in its category in the local East Fife and Fife Wide areas. Judges acting on behalf of Scotland in Bloom also marked us highly and at the national presentations in Aberdeen on 17th. September, we found that we had retained our title of Best Large Village before discovering that we had also been declared best village of any size in Scotland ….. and then, that we had had been awarded the trophy to recognise our Horticultural Excellence! Certainly our most successful season ever!

For the first time the village also found itself in Britain in Bloom after winning Best Large Village in Scotland in 2002. Two judges from London and the Channel Islands arrived on a splendid day in August to examine the village on the criteria set by the Royal Horticultural Society, including community involvement and a whole range of matters in addition to floral displays. After marks are allotted, a range of awards, from bronze through to gold, are then decided. We certainly believed we could not have improved on the impression made that day, but marking is very strict and we then faced the long wait until the end of September to discover the outcome. The results announced in the magnificent surroundings of the London Guildhall, with presentations made by television presenter Monty Don of Gardeners’ World, saw us receive a commendable Silver Award. The icing on the cake, however, was to be presented with the Floral Award in the Special Awards category for the best quality displays in the whole of the U.K. and a great tribute to Bob and Jean Maxwell! The visit to London was a memorable experience for the Falkland representatives … and the first ever trip in an aeroplane or a tube train for Bob and Jean!!

Whilst winning awards is not our main aim it is certainly pleasing and we are always greatly encouraged by the residents and visitors who show their appreciation of the efforts made each year.

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