‘It’s about making people feel happy when they visit Roberttown’: Village welcomes Yorkshire In Bloom judges
Judges from Yorkshire In Bloom visited the village of Roberttown last week.
Roberttown In Bloom has celebrated success at the prestigious regional Royal Horticultural Society competition for the past three years, including being crowned as the best village in the county for two years in a row.
After welcoming judges Richard Dewsbury and Angela Dicken to the picturesque village, chairperson Louise Hardy said:
“It is not just about the awards. It is about how we maintain that sense of civic pride and about making people feel happy when they visit Roberttown. Residents and businesses then feel the benefit of that too.
“We were very pleased with the displays, considering the perilous start to the season with the long periods of dry weather.
“And we are still working very hard with community cohesion. VE Day, for instance, brought the community together.
“We were just delighted with the overall entry and it just demonstrated how invested we are in the community, in environmental issues, wildlife conservation and making the place look and feel very welcoming and attractive to visitors.
“I would just like to thank all the Roberttown in Bloom volunteers, sponsors and supporters for going the extra mile with their support in this very hot summer of 2025.”
In what has been a busy few days for the voluntary group, a team then travelled to the RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show at the weekend to showcase a 2x2 metre plant container, inspired by volunteer Sophie Heptinstall, using roadwork wreckage that had been left over a three-month period in the winter in the village.
Louise said: “We wanted to pay homage to the fact that roadworks have a considerable impact on the environment, community, on businesses and on people’s welfare. They are frustrating, people can get late to work or appointments, and people get anxious.
“The disruption that they cause is getting worse as time goes on. We created a display using traffic cones, signs, barriers, shovels and wheelbarrows, and used plants which were donated by the community. All the props and plants will have a second life.
“It got a lot of recognition and was a talking point within the show. We are super proud to have taken part in such a prestigious showcase.”
Work, in partnership with Kirklees Council, has also started on a new community Orchard in the village, on land off Commonside.
Louise said: “Work has started with installation of an accessible gate and it will open up wildlife and nature for users of wheelchairs and motorised scooters.
“It will introduce wildlife to everybody within the community of Roberttown.”
The community project is expected to take between three to five years, and will include the installations of bug hotels, bird and bat houses, multiple Yorkshire heritage fruit trees, wild flower planting and an accessible path.