Shifnal Millennium Sensory Garden scoops top awards again
Shifnal Millennium Sensory Garden, which is lovingly maintained by a team of volunteers, has again been awarded with national accolades.
The Shifnal Millennium Sensory Garden has been recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society, with the group winning two awards.
The garden has been awarded the top accolade of Outstanding Level Five in the Heart of England in Bloom awards, winning the It's Your Neighbourhood Award.
With the aim of recognising clean and green specified public places, this marks the sixth year in a row the garden has won.
As well as this, the long serving chairwoman and treasurer for the garden, Angela Hoare, was awarded the It's Your Neighbourhood Heart of England in Bloom Outstanding Achievement Award, which saw her named as the only winner in the whole of the competition.
The garden group was set up in 1998 to celebrate the millennium and after 20 years, remains for the local community and visitors to visit.
Still maintained by volunteers, including some of the original members, the garden is financed solely by fund raising events, donations and grants for specific projects.
Access to all areas are by wide pathways suitable for wheelchairs and many benches are sited around the garden and in particular in the central area.
Schools, art groups and playgroups often using the facility.
The garden is environmentally friendly by composting, with sitting bird boxes and bug hotels on walls and trees, and a small mammal refuge with a hedgehog house.
Thrive
Trees and shrubs give much natural cover for wildlife to thrive in the gardens, contributing to its continued success and popularity.
Dave Hoare, the chief gardener, said: "We are delighted to have been recognised once again by the Royal Hortiultural Society.
"This is our sixth year in a row of winning which is such a remarkable achievement and proof the garden continues to delight all who visit.
"Community participation is very much encouraged with different groups often coming to use this wonderful facility."
The awards come just weeks after the garden was vandalised.
Flowers were torn up and plants from the flower beds were thrown across the garden on October 22.
It was the second act of vandalism in the garden in just a few days.
On October 20 volunteers reported that offenders had broke a number of climbing roses, left footprints over a number of raised flower beds and discarded empty alcohol bottles and other litter in the area.
Police said both incidents had been "a thoughtless and deplorable act of vandalism and distressing anti-social behaviour".
