Winners of annual Derry Floral Competition revealed

The competition, which is 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 Mayors Parlour on Thursday. Lorraine Allen, Project Manager at City Centre Initiative, extended congratulations to the winners and thanked all who entered the competition.

She said: “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 the 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.”

In the ‘Large Garden’ category, St. Eugene’s Cathedral, St. Augustine’s Church and Brooke Park won Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively while Number 19 Craft & Design in the Craft Village won Gold in the ‘City Centre Business’ category with Café Zest on the Spencer Road and the Guildhall Taphouse winning Silver and Bronze respectively. In the ‘Residential’ group, James and Maureen Nelis, of Abercorn Terrace won the Gold prize, John Doherty of Celtic Court won Silver and Jane Coyle of Lisfannon Park got Bronze.

More information on the CCI and the Annual Floral Competition can be found at cciderry-londonderry.com