The group has entered various other parishes into the competition in previous years, with the Forest team even winning gold for their efforts in 2025, but this year will be the first time that St Sampson’s has entered the fray with help from volunteers across the parish.
‘It’s a lot of work – we have to get as many people on board in the parish as we can,’ said St Sampson’s douzenier and Floral Guernsey lead Kim Abbotts, who is heading up the project.
The team has already secured support from schools, churches and charities, including Hautes Capelles Primary, Grow Ltd and the parish church. Among the volunteers for the project were foundation year students from the Guernsey Institute, who spent an afternoon helping Floral Guernsey plant troughs of flowers in Delancey Park.
‘It’s so good to get the community involved,’ said Mrs Abbotts.
‘We’re still looking for more people to volunteer as well – even if they don’t know anything about gardening, there are people here who will guide them.’
The troughs in Delancey Park have been planted with a carefully selected array of plants, ranging from garden flowers to herbs. All the plants were selected to work with a Beatrix Potter theme, in order to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the author’s birth.
‘She liked to be quite haphazard in her gardening, so we’re trying to create a bit of that feeling. She also loved pansies, so we’ve been planting lots of those,’ said Floral Guernsey volunteer Helen Godfrey.
Britain in Bloom, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, was first held in 1964, and has since become the nation’s largest horticultural campaign. Every year, more than 1,600 communities around the UK enter the competition, from small villages to cities. The size of the settlement entering the competition will determine how it is categorised, and then all groups are judged according to three criteria – horticultural excellence, environmental responsibility, and community participation.
‘It’s amazing how many people stop and say how much they like seeing the troughs full of flowers,’ said Mrs Godfrey.
The island’s entries into the competition will be judged later this summer. The process will see RHS judges come to Guernsey to see a tour of each of the local teams’ horticultural handiwork before the groups each submit a comprehensive portfolio of their work to be assessed.
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