‘A town to be proud of’: Yorkshire in Bloom judges welcomed to Mirfield as town aims for Gold again
Mirfield was visited by Yorkshire in Bloom last week - with the judges “impressed” by the town’s enthusiasm and decorations.
Volunteers from Mirfield in Bloom welcomed Russell Boland and John Le Corney to the town on Friday, July 10, and Tuesday, July 14, with the hope of gaining yet another Gold standard in the prestigious awards.
The judges were taken on a tour around the town, including down the picturesque high street as well as to the newly redeveloped train station, whilst they were treated to a lunch at St Mary’s Church, which concluded their visit.
Judge John said: “We have covered an awful lot over the two days. I have been impressed with how many volunteers and how many people are involved and how enthusiastic they all are.
“This church is a very incredible monument, and the history is interesting. The planters and the hanging baskets in the high street were pretty impressive, and it was great to see how many shops were involved.
Russell added: “It has been excellent. It is very well maintained, full of enthusiastic people. It is one big effort which is impressive.”
The train station is also tended to by Friends of Mirfield Railway Station, with Richard Isaac, community and sustainability manager for Northern trains, heaping praise on both groups.
He said: “We can’t thank Friends of Mirfield Railway Station and Mirfield In Bloom enough for all that they do for the train station. They have created a really welcoming environment.
“It has been a challenging time with the building of the new station as they haven’t been able to do as much in terms of the floral display this year, but, around the station, regardless of the construction work, they have done some fantastic work.
“They really make Mirfield not only a gateway to our network but a gateway to this community and we can’t thank them enough.”
Mirfield in Bloom has repeatedly been awarded Gold standard at the annual Yorkshire in Bloom awards, although Keighley in Bloom was crowned the region’s best large town in 2025.
Ruth Edwards, chair of Mirfield in Bloom, told everyone at Tuesday’s lunch: “We are all so pleased with how the whole town has responded, so it is a massive thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have given to Mirfield in Bloom to make our town a town to be proud of.
“I think we will agree that we all do, seriously, love where we live.”
For 2026, Mirfield is up against Keighley, Todmorden, Shipley, Bridlington, and Filey for the best large town award. The winners will be revealed in September.