Hampton Green Seaside Garden

Hampton Green Seaside Garden(with blue waves surrounded by golden sand) Please click on the image for full view

This lovely seaside garden has now been completed  thanks to the hard work of Peter Buscall and his band of willing workers from Family Investment Homes who are based at Elham Valley Vineyards.

We all think it looks stunning and a lovely lady who was walking her dog passed whilst we were up there last week stopped us and said" Thank you for making this garden we stop every time we pass and it really makes our day."

High praise indeed -  and we at Herne Bay in Bloom are really pleased that this is the effect that it has because it really makes our day as well to think that all the hard work  that has gone into it is appreciated.

We hope all the residents and visitors to the Hampton Leisure gardens continue to enjoy the  garden as it developes over the next few years

Presentation to Family Investment Homes - Garden Design Winners

Luisa with her ist prize winning garden design and Colleen Ashwin -Keane HBIB Secretary (please click on images for full view)Members of Family Investment Homes in their Tea Rooms celebrating their Certificate of ExcellenceSome members of the Herne Bay in Bloom Committee visited Elham Valley Vineyards this week which is the base for the Family Investment Homes organisation, to judge the entries which members had designed for the new garden which Herne Bay in Bloom have commisioned for the Hampton Green area in Herne Bay. They were welcomed in the excellent tea rooms run by some of the residents by Peter Buscall,the Garden Centre manager and his assistant Joanne who are going to collate the winning designs ready for construction of the garden early in the New Year.(See Photo Gallery for more winning designs)

After enjoying tea and some delicious homemade mince tart the design winners were presented with their prizes by Colleen Ashwin-Keane, HBIB Secretary and Margaret Burns,Chair also presented all the other members present with their Certificate of Excellence awarded by the RHS S&SE in Bloom for the work which they had done for helping with the 2011 campaign.

Task Force Day 19th October 2011

Murriel,Mary and Joyce HBIB committee planting up Mortimer St planterColleen Ashwin-Keen discussing planting plan of Mortimer st plantersRay Cordell & Terry Jewiss planting three tier planter in Mortimer StreetThanks to everyone who turned up on quite a cold and draughty morning. Peter Buscall and members of Family Investment Homes gardening team provided the compost and plants.Bob Salter and his  Greenhill St Peter's group dealt with the planters in William Street. Members of the HBIB committee cleared the three tier planters and square planters in Mortimer Street and Terry Jewiss from Herne Horticultural & Rose Society also joined in to help. Colleen Ashwin-Kean HBIB Secretary prepared the overall planting plan and together with Margaret Burns organised the morning. All the planters are now looking bright and cheerful with a mixture of pansies,violas,cyclamen and ivy.Thanks to everyone who  has offered to water and keep an eye on them throughout the winter, Vanessa Field of The Old Firm in Mortimer Street and Pet's Corner and the shopkeepers in William Street and also to Serco Streetscene who helped in clearing away the rubbish bags very quickly on the day. The Herne Bay in Bloom committee are grateful for all the support they get from all these people.

Learning and design

Parks and open spaces present an opportunity for people to grow too. We are now starting to work with a range of education and training organisations to deliver design and small to medium scale projects.

These organisations include Canterbury College, Appleseed Landscapes (under the umbrella of Kent Enterprise Trust) and Family Investment Homes. The colleges are major local employers and providers of future gardeners, and cater for students with a wide range of abilities including learning difficulties.

In particular they will be working on projects in Herne Bay Memorial Park and at Hampton play area landscaping an area of untidy ground, next to the recently refurbished Play Area.

Supporting events

There is a range of events and activities that take place to support the 'In Bloom' campaign, including: Plant and cake sales which are hosted by the Herne Bay in Bloom Committee and Family Investment Homes. These have raised valuable funds to support the competition.

The popular Herne Horticultural Show that took place on 16 March. The Herne and Broomfield annual safari took place on Sunday 13 June. This year gardens of varying interest from hanging baskets and tubs to mature trees and shrubs opened up to the public. The garden owners are always willing to share information and give advice, and some even provide refreshment. Plants are always available to buy and the proceeds of the safari are divided between Help for Heroes and Herne and Broomfield Parish Council.

For the first time this year Herne Infants and Junior Schools opened their grounds as part of the safari giving local people the chance to see the work of the schools gardening clubs.

Herne Bay Memorial Park Regeneration Project

This is an on going project to regenerate the centre of Herne Bay. It was a premier Victorian resort, which is divided into three distinct areas including the seafront, the town centre and the Memorial Park, which is its green heart.

The park is close to the town centre and seafront and links to the coastal cycle path. Connecting the seafront, town centre and the park is key to Herne Bay's regeneration; the future market position of any destination is linked to the economic prosperity and quality of life of its residents. This will create a strong sense of place.

Tourism is an economic driver, and people will travel to distinctive destinations that also deliver quality of life and are visually attractive to residents and visitors. Key to regenerating the town is restoring its green heart, the park. The city council has consulted widely on the future of the park, and an active and supportive 'Friends of' group has been formed. £500,000 has been made available from the council's capital budget and a further £50,000 has been awarded from the government's 'Playbuilder' scheme.

The play area was refurbished earlier this year and is now open, and other projects in the park include installing CCTV, restoring and improving the lighting and paths, refurbishing the garden area, installing signage and toilets, creating a community hub, refurbishing the street furniture and up-grading the lake. The aim is to turn the park in to a 'green flag' park.

Other notable horticultural achievements include the installation of a kitchen garden plots in Memorial Park which will be offered for the use of community groups. This project was designed by residents of the Family Investment Homes Project, who have also produced a design for a sensory garden. The gardens will be installed by Oakapple who have worked on other projects in the district.

Last year Family Investment Homes held a competition to design a new bed at the Kings Road entrance of memorial Park next to the Parklife centre. This area had been particularly neglected and was in need of a revamp. They then carried out the installation of the new bed using plants they had grown at their nursery.