City Centre Floral Competition winners revealed!
L-R: Jane Coyle, Siobhan O’Donnell (Café Zest), Reggie McGuinness (DCSDC Brooke Park), Colleen Coyle (Number 19 Craft & Design), Johnny Mitchell (DCSDC Brooke Park), Mayor Sandra Duffy, James Nelis, Maureen Nelis, Paul Eastwood (Guildhall Taphouse), Emmett Thompson (St Eugene’s Cathedral), Lorraine Allen (CCI)
The winners of the 2022 City Centre Initiative Annual Floral Competition have been revealed! The competition organised in partnership with Altnagelvin Garden Centre encourages traders and residents to celebrate the summer season with floral and plant displays.
The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy, hosted the competition winners at the Mayor’s Parlour on Thursday.
Lorraine Allen, Project Manager at City Centre Initiative, extended congratulations to the winners and thanked all who entered the competition. “The competition celebrates the summer season and all the city centre businesses, community groups and residents who put so much effort into their gardens and floral displays.
“This event celebrates the teamwork within the city with traders, residents and Council’s ground maintenance teams working hard to make the city centre presentable and attractive for locals and visitors to the city, making it a nicer place to be for all.
“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who entered the competition, our judges and main sponsor, Altnagelvin Garden Centre. I understand some may be disappointed to have not made the final three but the judges do have a difficult task in deciding the winners and the standard of entries was once again exceptional. What makes everyone a winner is a pride we see demonstrated for not only their own property but also for our city as a whole. Congratulations to our winners and for those who didn’t get placed this year we hope our judges will get to see you again next year.”
Pauline Peilow of Altnagelvin Garden Centre, who sponsor the competition, said she believed the floral competition was an invaluable way of bringing the people of the city together and rewarding those who put in great efforts throughout the year to keep their gardens and properties looking well.
She said: “The hard work and dedication of the entrants makes such a difference to the streetscape of the city, obviously as a keen gardener and supplier of gardening materials myself, I look forward to seeing the city centre blooming with colour. No matter how small your garden area is, a small plant box or hanging basket certainly makes all the difference. Well done to all who took part in the competition.”
2022 Results
Large Garden Category
GOLD – St Eugene’s Cathedral
SILVER – St Augustine’s Church
BRONZE – Brooke Park
City Centre Business Category
GOLD – Number 19 Craft & Design, Craft Village
SILVER – Café Zest
BRONZE – Guildhall Taphouse
Residential Category
GOLD – James and Maureen Nelis, Abercorn Place
SILVER – John Doherty, Celtic Court
BRONZE – Jane Coyle, Lisfannon Park