Oswestry looks to involved children in Britain in Bloom

Natalie Bainbridge from Oswestry in Bloom said she wanted to involve young people

A town is trying to get young people involved in horticulture after qualifying to enter Britain in Bloom.

Oswestry in Shropshire won gold in the competition's Heart of England region in 2022.

Natalie Bainbridge from the Oswestry in Bloom project says she wants to create pride in the community with the latest efforts.

Oswestry School pupils have volunteered to plant bulbs, prune bushes and weed beds once a week under plans.

Children have also signed up to plant almost 1,500 sunflowers.

Ms Bainbridge said she hoped "to engage children and encourage pollinators into the town" through the planting.

"We thought maybe that all the reception classes in Oswestry would want to take part, but actually every child in Oswestry wants to take part," she said.

She added pupils planned to grow 700 of the flowers, with the best relocated for public display.

She said children had been "encouraged to do a journal, do some artwork, so it'll be quite impressive and the bees will love it".

Oswestry School pupils have been getting involved in planting and pruning

Paul Bentley, a teacher at Oswestry School, said Ms Bainbridge was a school governor and had asked for help.

"We did a pretty good job of getting the first batch of bulbs in and they invited us back to do some more," he explained.

"Students regularly plant and prune and just help out whenever they can," he added.

Tam, nine, said she had been picking up plant-growing tips from her grandmother

Student Milica Miljanic, 17, said she did not usually do gardening at home but she had enjoyed being part of Oswestry in Bloom.

"We're just trying to make our community a better place," she said.

Another pupil, nine-year-old Tam who has been growing a sunflower, said she planted flowers and vegetables with her mother at home and had asked her grandmother for plant-growing tips.

"I heard they like stories; ones about gardens and flowers," she said.