TOWN CENTRE ‘BLOOMING BRIGHTLY’ THANKS TO DONATION OF COLOURFUL PERENNIALS
Hyndburn has seen a splash of colour this week with the planting of various perennial plants.
Thanks to the generosity from Lovania Nurseries, one of the UK’s largest commercial growers and suppliers of plants and flowers, a range of plants have found their place throughout the borough. Cllr Steven Smithson, Portfolio Holder for Environment at Hyndburn Council has been working to brighten up the towns after feedback from residents.
Cllr Smithson (pictured above) said: “It is clear from speaking to people in our towns that residents want to see more flowers and colour. Although the ideal planting time of year has now passed and we are planning for more permanent solutions in the future, I am really pleased that we have been able to source these new floral instalments in the interim. The beds on the town square now have some fresh flowers which are blooming brightly and various parks and community groups have also benefited from the donation too.”
Almost 10,000 flowers and five pallets of bulbs have been donated to Hyndburn from Lovania Nurseries and these have been gifted to various organisations including the Council, Rhyddings Park, Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum and Freshfields.
Cllr Caroline Montague, Green Ambassador for Hyndburn said: “These flowers would have otherwise gone to landfill. It is fantastic that through quick action the flowers are not only bringing some colour, they are already attracting insects such as bees who need these kinds of plants for nectar and pollen.”
Ian Edgar, Senior Operations Manager, Lovania Nurseries, said:
“These plants were oversupply and unfortunately would have needed to be discarded if we couldn’t find someone to use them. We are really pleased that these plants have found a home in Hyndburn. It is not an easy task to quickly plant almost 10,000 plants and five pallets of bulbs… but through the council and local community this is being achieved, we are proud to be part of that and look forward to working collaboratively in the future too.”
Cllr Smithson continued:
“We are really grateful to Lovania for this generous donation, it makes a huge difference and they are a great addition to the existing plants such as the green foliage, which is low maintenance and not seasonal like floral displays are. I would also like to thank the parks team at Hyndburn Council and the various volunteers who have worked quickly to plant and distribute these for people to enjoy this summer. This is a small step in our long-term plans to restore pride in our borough.”
(pictured L-R: Cllr Britcliffe, Cllr Parkinson, Cllr Montague, Cllr Smithson, Cllr Harrison)
Hyndburn Borough Council are also ready to submit their bid to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and part of this allocation is for greening of Accrington with a view for a ‘floral market town’ aesthetic and ‘pocket parks’ for people to enjoy.