Britain in Bloom has been running for many years but it is only recently that Halmer End has been entered in the very competitive judging.  Over the past six months you may have noticed that Halmer End, Stoke On Trent, has been blooming with  colourful floral decorations.  If you are lucky, you also may have  seen a group of caring and respectful people, Halmerend Village Association, working extremely hard . They came together after a meeting in the Methodist Chapel a year ago and are now a group of people dedicated to inproving the environment of Halmer End, total voluntary work and  not receiving any financial help from  the Parish, Borough or County Councils.  Donations or events such as bring and buys have so far been the only form of fund. In preparation, they have cleaned, painted, planted and restored the whole of the    village.

Sir Thomas Boughey is one of  the main       buildings and employers in the village  and attracts people from as far as the Waterhayes Village.  So it is important  to keep the school as   attractive as possible, this is why the         surrounding railings were painted. The children are encouraged to help keep Halmer End clean and possibly get involved in the planting and   preservation of the wild life areas.

This picture shows one of the Mini Pit Disaster memorials which has been restored to show Halmer End's respect for those that died.

People who know the village are aware of the historical values it holds.  The Britain In Bloom scheme has picked upon this  and have begun to reform old monuments and make new sights where we may pay our respects.
  When myself and Laura interviewed  Lorna Cartwright,  the landscape gardener behind Halmerend In BLoom ,she told us about the future plans that they have instore.  The original Mini Pit Wheels have been found and are about to be restored  as well as the foundation stones of Sir Thomas Boughey High School.   
Wild Life areas, like Podmore  are to be tidied and more planting is to take place by the bridge.

It is not only the school children who may take part it is also the local brownies.  The whole project is to make the childre and adults proud of where the live and that in future will learn to respect its history and meaning.
We would like to thank Lorna Cartwright for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk to us. Without her help her help this page would not be possible.

Click here for more about Halmer End Village Association