Community: Bloomin' Marvellous!
If you thought Moseley in Bloom was just about filling hanging baskets with fuschias, then you couldn’t be more wrong. Keeping Moseley “cleaner and greener” is a year-round labour of love involving a huge range of events and activities and a small army of volunteers.
I met up with Carol Miller, MiB’s ‘In Bloom Ambassador’, in Java Lounge for a well deserved hot chocolate. She’d just been trudging local streets to recruit participants for the hugely popular Open Gardens event in June. She’s been heavily involved in the charity for the last five years and is very passionate about the work that the team does to maintain Moseley’s flower power.
“If the area is clean and colourful, it makes people feel better about themselves, and getting involved shows them they have the power to change things. It also brings the community together - we work closely with the council, street cleaners, schools, religious groups, local businesses and many other community organisations. All of us helping each other to improve the local area.”
George Howell of Indigo Wholefoods, a regular sponsor of MiB events, explained why he supports their work. “It’s a community thing. The community give to us, and we give back to the community.” And Carol agrees. “If Moseley looks good, it brings people in. It’s good for business.”
This year’s theme is ‘Edible Gardening’ and a veritable feast of events and activities is planned. A new item on the menu is a series of talks, starting in May, on a variety of mouth watering topics, such as bee keeping, organic gardening and garden design.
The team will also be continuing their work with local schools. One project will involve giving out thousands of seeds so that children can get hands-on education by growing their own fruit and vegetables.
The biggest issue that the team faces is litter. With street cleaning services being slashed and large numbers of non-residents regularly frequenting Moseley’s bars and restaurants, just keeping the pavements free of rubbish is a constant battle. This year MiB are tackling the problem by launching an anti-litter photo competition, which they hope will raise awareness and encourage residents and visitors alike to be more responsible with their waste.
And of course there is the annual ‘In Bloom’ campaign. In July it will be all hands on deck to make sure that every petal is in place when the judges arrive. Carol is cautiously optimistic that Moseley will retain it’s regional crown in the ‘Urban Community’ category, a title it has held for the last six years.
“It’s the most difficult category”, she explains. “When the RHS judges visited, they commented on our very ‘mixed’ community, and they’re right. Being an urban area with a diverse population does bring with it certain challenges, but it is also a huge strength.”
Carol is very proud of the part she has played in making Moseley cleaner and brighter. If she could have just one wish for the forthcoming year it is that more people get involved. “Raising awareness is important,” she said, “but only if people act on it.”
(Published in 'Moseley B13' April 2013)
I met up with Carol Miller, MiB’s ‘In Bloom Ambassador’, in Java Lounge for a well deserved hot chocolate. She’d just been trudging local streets to recruit participants for the hugely popular Open Gardens event in June. She’s been heavily involved in the charity for the last five years and is very passionate about the work that the team does to maintain Moseley’s flower power.
“If the area is clean and colourful, it makes people feel better about themselves, and getting involved shows them they have the power to change things. It also brings the community together - we work closely with the council, street cleaners, schools, religious groups, local businesses and many other community organisations. All of us helping each other to improve the local area.”
George Howell of Indigo Wholefoods, a regular sponsor of MiB events, explained why he supports their work. “It’s a community thing. The community give to us, and we give back to the community.” And Carol agrees. “If Moseley looks good, it brings people in. It’s good for business.”
This year’s theme is ‘Edible Gardening’ and a veritable feast of events and activities is planned. A new item on the menu is a series of talks, starting in May, on a variety of mouth watering topics, such as bee keeping, organic gardening and garden design.
The team will also be continuing their work with local schools. One project will involve giving out thousands of seeds so that children can get hands-on education by growing their own fruit and vegetables.
The biggest issue that the team faces is litter. With street cleaning services being slashed and large numbers of non-residents regularly frequenting Moseley’s bars and restaurants, just keeping the pavements free of rubbish is a constant battle. This year MiB are tackling the problem by launching an anti-litter photo competition, which they hope will raise awareness and encourage residents and visitors alike to be more responsible with their waste.
And of course there is the annual ‘In Bloom’ campaign. In July it will be all hands on deck to make sure that every petal is in place when the judges arrive. Carol is cautiously optimistic that Moseley will retain it’s regional crown in the ‘Urban Community’ category, a title it has held for the last six years.
“It’s the most difficult category”, she explains. “When the RHS judges visited, they commented on our very ‘mixed’ community, and they’re right. Being an urban area with a diverse population does bring with it certain challenges, but it is also a huge strength.”
Carol is very proud of the part she has played in making Moseley cleaner and brighter. If she could have just one wish for the forthcoming year it is that more people get involved. “Raising awareness is important,” she said, “but only if people act on it.”
(Published in 'Moseley B13' April 2013)
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