The gallery

The Queen’s Jubilee

Behind the scenes look at work put in to create the Borough’s award winning displays.

Wilsthorpe Island, Long Eaton

Red, white and blue

From little seedlings our Green Space team develops the plants which this year will blossom into the popular Union Jack design using the plants below.

Begonia devil red - a half-hardy annual with glossy dark green foliage, and bright red flowers with mustard yellow centres in summer.

Begonia devil white - a half-hardy annual with glossy dark green foliage, and white flowers with bright yellow centres in summer.

Lobelia crystal palace a compact annual with small, dark bronze-green foliage and deep blue flowers 2cm across in summer and autumn

1 2 3

The bloom beginnings

Councillor Carol Hart, Leader of the Council, helps keep the young plants hydrated watched by Mick Lidgett, Area Supervisor South, right, and Dawn Beastall and Ian Colborne.

Aerial view

The summer will see a return of the five bed display in Ilkeston town centre.

Potting about

Councillor Carol Hart, Leader of the Council, enjoys giving a helping hand to the Green Space team at West Park Nursery. Moving the seedlings on

Staff at our impressive West Park nursery facility nurture the thousands of young plants in readiness for their planting out at the end of May.

Raring to go!

Leader of the Council Carol Hart with some of our gardening team as they prepare for this summer’s planting. White Lion Square, Ilkeston

Behind the scenes

By Caroline Pollard

Ever wondered about all the work that goes into creating the beautiful floral displays which brighten the borough’s town centres, parks, verges and traffic islands?

For several years now both Ilkeston and Long Eaton have achieved gold medals in the East Midlands in Bloom competition. Part of the judging criteria is based on ‘Horticultural Excellence’ and ‘Environmental Responsibility’ and the judges, when they visit next month, will have this very much in mind when looking at the summer flower displays which adorn both towns.

Tucked away in a corner of West Park in Long Eaton is Erewash Borough Council’s nursery. The glasshouses and polytunnels are the ‘engine room’ for all the hard work that goes into producing the award-winning flower displays. They first spring into life in late March when the plants start arriving at the nursery as small plug plants which are then tenderly nurtured and grown on by nursery manager Mick Lidgett and his team.

Environmental Responsibility is an important factor in the day to day practices of the nursery and it has been using peat-free compost since the council first signed the Peatland Charter in 1993.

At that time it was a trail-blazing initiative to undertake more environmentally-friendly horticultural practices, well ahead of current times when ‘peat-free’ is now the watchword in the world of gardening as the need to protect valuable peat resources and reduce the carbon impact of peat removal has sprung to the attention of the public.

Using chemicals to treat pests and bugs are shunned at the nursery and replaced by more environmentallyfriendly control methods. Small vials of natural predators are released into the glasshouses throughout the season, helping to suppress the aphids and other insects which could feast on the plants.

Growing conditions are monitored to ensure the plants are safe from insects and the effects of any late spring frosts, with the plants developing into healthy and robust specimens ready to brave the great British summer.

In late May, the plants are finally ready and the operational teams undertake the back-breaking task of planting out around 60,000 plants in beds and baskets to bring a blast of colour to Erewash’s outdoor spaces.

Back at the nursery, Mick and his team will be busy nurturing the next batch of plants for the winter and spring displays. These are planted out in September and, along with the thousands of spring-time bulbs which emerge on our verges and in parks, help to bring some welcome cheer to the darkest months of the year.

Hitting the big time!

Ilkeston is through to the national finals of ‘Britain in Bloom’ and the council’s greenspace teams, along with many of the borough’s community groups and volunteers, will be working flat-out to make the town look its best for the judges’ visit. The stunning seasonal planting displays, hanging baskets and planters which adorn the borough will complement the many permanent planting schemes and newly planted wildflower areas – it’s looking like 2022 will be a blooming colourful year for Erewash.

A tribute to Clive

Erewash Borough Council staff and councillors paid tribute to Clive Moore, a much respected and popular member of the Greenspace team, who passed away in March.

Clive worked for the council for 43 years and was a familiar and friendly face to many residents in the borough, seen outside keeping the parks clean and tidy all year round and playing a leading role in planting and maintaining the award winning floral displays.

He was particularly known for his work at West Park in Long Eaton.

The funeral service was held at St Michael’s Church, Breaston, which included the reading of a poem by the Mayor of Erewash, Councillor Donna Briggs. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Carol Hart, was also there to pay her respects along with many of his workmates.

“Clive will be very much missed and the amount of people wanting to share their condolences and memories of him speaks volumes of the kind and friendly man he was,” said Councillor Hart.

“All our thoughts remain very much with his wife Jackie and family.”

Following the service, a burial took place at Longmoor Road cemetery and his family and friends then celebrated his life at the Priest House Hotel in Castle Donington.

Looking for volunteers

The Friends of Straw’s Bridge, West Hallam are looking for new recruits to join the group.

The Friends are a group of volunteers who take an interest in promoting, developing and improving the Erewash Borough Council owned nature reserve for visitors and wildlife.

The Friends hold regular meetings and organise activities and events at Straw’s Bridge throughout the year. If you would like to become a ‘Friend’ or find out more about the site you can contact the group via facebook.com/strawsbridge

Councillor Carol Hart, Leader of Erewash Borough Council, says:

“The Friends of Straw’s Bridge do a fantastic job in helping to look after this precious beauty spot for everyone to enjoy.”

Straw’s Bridge is on High Lane, West Hallam, Ilkeston. It has a free car park for visitors and access to the Nutbrook Trail for walkers and cyclists. Schools across Erewash have been working with Digital artist Graham Elstone to create a temporary exhibition which Erewash Borough Council’s Arts Development Team hopes to see on tour across the district during a year of jubilee celebrations.

‘Touch Hear’ is an interactive project which enables young people to share what they have learnt about popular culture over the past 70 years through conversations with our older communities, creating conversational soundscapes.

Follow Arts Development activities and updates at Facebook/Erewash Museum.

Schools on tour

St Thomas School, Ilkeston - Touch Hear project.

West Hallam Care Home offers a warm, homely environment with exceptional care and quality facilities.

• Residential and dementia care

• CQC rated good

• All types of funding accepted • Newly refurbished sensory garden • Dedicated activities team and regular trips out

Call us on 0115 944 0329 to book a virtual or on-site tour!

We are here!

Part of the Ashmere Family of Care Homes 8 Newdigate Street, West Hallam, Ilkeston DE7 6GZ

ashmere.co.uk derbys@ashmere.co.uk 0115 9440329 Ashmere Derbyshire