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Battle for flowers as Floral Guernsey fights for survival

Floral Guernsey organisers are fighting for the competition’s survival, even as islanders prepare for this year’s competition.

Final preparations for next week are well under way in the Forest, with Floral Forest joint leader Sarah Plumley saying its dozen volunteers were busy dead-heading and picking up litter.
Final preparations for next week are well under way in the Forest, with Floral Forest joint leader Sarah Plumley saying its dozen volunteers were busy dead-heading and picking up litter. / Guernsey Press

Judging starts on Sunday, with four entries in the main competition from Herm, Sark, Alderney and Forest, along with 11 kiosks and several douzaine rooms.

But behind the scenes, the competition is under threat, with the group delving into its financial reserves amid uncertainty over its long-term funding.

The group’s future has been uncertain since the States decided not to grant it more than £40,000 in annual funding earlier this year.

Co-ordinator Caroline Allisette said Floral Guernsey was working hard to find the money needed for the event’s future.

‘We have applied for three different funds and we have been rejected by all of them,’ she said.

‘Goodness knows what will happen next year. We may have to pack up. But we are battling.’

She said it was hard to compete against other charities working for a wide range of issues, but she hoped the new States may be more sympathetic to their cause.

‘It’s not been easy, but we’ve been battling away,’ she said.

‘The response from so many islanders in the last couple of months since we found out about the withdrawal of funding has been immense.’

Floral Guernsey council member John Woodward has been involved with the competition since its inception in the 1990s.

He said the battle for funding was impacting the organisation.

‘It does mean we have taken our eye off our core business,’ he said.

‘We have exhausted what we can do for the time being [with funding applications]. We had a donation from the John Ramplin Trust, which will keep our head above water for this year and into next year. But the future after that is very uncertain. It is very demoralising for the council members and I think we will see some resignations.’

Alternative funding ideas have been discussed and Mr Woodward said this had included considering charging for entries. But with the floral teams being volunteers, Mr Woodward said this would be a last resort.

‘We want to keep the competition open to all.’

Mr Woodward said that financial support for the competition had been reducing in recent years, which he felt was a false economy, as the competition sees the Bailiwick showcased in a national event, which boosts visibility and tourism. He was worried the cuts were a sign of changing attitudes in the island.

‘I am concerned that people are going down a road where they don’t care about where they live.’

Final preparations for next week are well under way in the Forest, with Floral Forest joint leader Sarah Plumley saying its dozen volunteers were busy dead-heading and picking up litter.

She said Floral Guernsey was important for the island.

‘But I think people take it for granted,’ she said.

Judging will run all week, with the parish winner representing the island in next year’s Royal Horticultural Society’s national Britain In Bloom competition. This year St Saviour’s is representing the island and parish volunteers are busy preparing for their separate judging event later in the summer.

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