Double gold for Glendale at South and South East in Bloom awards

Two Glendale-managed parks in Waverley have taken gold at the annual South and South East in Bloom Awards, held at Brighton & Hove Albion’s American Express Community Stadium.

The national green services company is celebrating gold medal wins for Gostrey Meadow in Farnham in the small parks section and Phillips Memorial Park in Godalming in the large parks category.

Both parks, which are maintained by Glendale for Waverley Borough Council, were assessed by a panel of judges and scored against criteria relating to the improvement they have made to the local environment.

To win gold, the highest of five standards, entries must score 85 per cent or 170 points out of a possible 200.

Paul Ford, contract manager at Glendale, said: “At Glendale, we not only aim to set a standard but to constantly better ourselves, and these latest awards are proof of the dedication and hard work of our teams.

“The in Bloom awards are not only about sustainable environments but sustainable communities too, and we’ve always been proud of the way we work with the community to maintain spaces which can be enjoyed by all.”

Mark Collings, green spaces contract officer at Waverley Borough Council said, “It’s fantastic that we’ve received these Gold awards and that the hard work of Glendale and their partnership working approach with Waverley Borough Council has been recognised.

“The dedication of the permanent Glendale Park Keepers at each site, Nick Gibbs for Gostrey Meadow, and Robert Pelham for Phillips Memorial Park were praised by the judge Jean Griffin who said that it was refreshing to see old style values returning. Community events and volunteer work at both sites were also commended.”

This year’s South and South East in Bloom awards received a record 400 entries from across Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, North Dorset and East Wiltshire.

Glendale has been managing and maintaining parks, recreation grounds, cemeteries, sports pitches, communal green spaces and housing estates around Waverley since 2005.