Brownhills has had excellent flowers for a few years now – mostly maintained by volunteers. Image from Brownhills Town Centre Partnership.

I note from the Facebook Page of Brownhills Town Centre Partnership that Brownhills this year won a Silver Award in the Britain in Bloom competition. It’s not the kind of thing you’d normally associate with Brownhills, but year after year, the floral displays here have been improving, and this year they looked wonderful.

Brownhills Town Centre Partnership posted the following on their page yesterday:

Well we did it FB Friends we achieved Silver for Brownhills in Bloom 2013. Next year were gonna get Silver Gilt that’s a promise!

A massive thanks to all involved this year and a plea for more help and support for 2014 entry.

We already have some fab ideas to get stuck into.

Well done Brownhills you’ve done us proud.

A special thanks to Vickie Heydon-Matterface and Vivienne Aston – without you two this would not of been possible.

It’s easy to be disparaging about Brownhills town centre but this is a great result for the town, the traders and volunteers who worked hard to put on such a lovely display. I’d like to congratulate them, and I’m sure readers will join with me in doing so. I may not always see eye to eye with BTCP, but credit must go where it’s due. Thanks.

Browhills in Bloom organisers and volunteers Vickie Heydon-Matterface and Vivienne Aston, together with Nikki Rolls from Walsall Council, show off their award from Heart of England in Bloom. Image from Brownhills Town Centre Partnership.

Also announced today on the same page was an award for Watling Street School in Brownhills:

Huge congratulations too to Britain in Bloom winners Watling St Primary of Brownhills who won a schools involvement award.

Nice to see the kids getting involved with such a thing. Get them hooked on the plants and wildlife early…

I suppose I should also congratulate neighbours Aldridge and Bloxwich who achieved Gold awards…. they were stunning, it has to be said, mainly due again to the efforts of people like friend of the blog Pòl MacDhòmhnaill, who freely volunteer their time – in his case, to Aldridge – to make their towns special.

Here’s to next year…