Judges tour borough's bid for Bloom glory

Rugby secured a place in this year's Britain in Bloom finals after being crowned the overall winner of the 2025 Heart of England in Bloom contest.

Judges from Britain in Bloom look set to visit the borough next month, but first Rugby welcomed the judges from Heart of England in Bloom for a tour of the town.

Tuesday's (7 June) tour stopped off at a number of the town's horticultural highlights, starting in Caldecott Park where the judges visited the community growing project and the recently refurbished tennis courts.

The judges were then taken to the town centre, walking through Chestnut Fields, Jubilee Gardens and Regent Street towards Rugby School.

Following a tour of the school, the judges visited Great Central Way and met with volunteers from Rugby Wildlife Group and Butterfly Conservation Warwickshire.

This year's Rugby in Bloom had the theme of 'attracting nature' and the volunteers explained how conservation work had created a diverse range of habitats where wildlife, flora and fauna can thrive.

Diamond Wood - planted in Rainsbrook Valley in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II - was the next stop on the tour, where the judges met representatives from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the Friends of Diamond Wood before visiting Bilton Junior School to explore the school's greenhouse and new pond. 

The tour ended with lunch at the Benn Partnership Centre, where the judges were joined by the Mayor of Rugby, Cllr Nooria Sayani.

Cllr Maggie O'Rourke, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for partnerships, health and wellbeing, said the success of Rugby in Bloom was a real team effort.

"Rugby in Bloom brings together volunteers, community organisations, schools, business and sponsors who join our Bloom entry every year, working with a number of council teams whose hard work and dedication take care of our parks all year round," Cllr O'Rourke said.

"Our parks team has forged innovative partnerships in the community, including Onley Prison - where prisoners have restored park benches and built nesting boxes for birds, bats and bugs - and Warwickshire College, where engineering students played an important part in creating the new sensory garden in Caldecott Park," Cllr O'Rourke added.

"In Bloom brings Rugby together and shows the borough at its best, and we have fingers crossed for another successful year."

Rugby has won gold in the 'small city' category at the Heart of England in Bloom Awards for 16 years in a row.

The winners of both the Heart of England in Bloom Awards and the Britain in Bloom Awards look set to be announced in October.

Cllr Neil Sandison, Rugby Borough Council's Liberal Democrat group spokesperson for partnerships, health and wellbeing, said: "Our parks and open spaces team make a fantastic contribution to the borough, but we must pay tribute to the growing band of community volunteers who now look after community and public spaces in our town.

"Working together, we help to make Rugby and its villages a really good place to live."