Wareham Community Growers - Growing For Gold!
In 2021 the newly formed Wareham Community Growers superceded the defunct Wareham in Bloom Committee. After a flurry of hasty activity, working closely with Wareham Town Council, a very pleasing Silver award was achieved in the South and South East in Bloom Competition (SSEIB).
Since then the gorup has gone from strength to strength, achieving four coveted SSEIB Gold awards, two Best Small Town accolades and a Silver Gilt in the prestigious national RHS Britain in Bloom Competition. In 2026, we were again pleased to receive an invitation to re-enter the Britain in Bloom competition, a challenge which has been enthusiastically taken up.
With two competitions to prepare for, activity has focused on three essential competition categories:-
Horticulture
Anyone visiting Wareham cannot fail to notice its superb town centre floral displays in baskets and planter stands which line the route from North Street all the way to end of South Street and at St Johns Hill in large, colourful tubs and a planter donated by regulars at the Horse and Groom pub. Working with Wareham Town Council, they have been created and planted with a view to enhancing the town for residents and visitors alike as a major attraction.
The floral displays are supplied by Wareham Town Council and, under an agreement with Council, planted up by the WCG volunteers. Displays are all year round, being changed in early autumn and again in May, using peat free compost and water retaining crystals
Over the last two years, new three tier self watering containers have been installed in the town centre so that refilling is less often. WCG activities have also included bulb planting, maintenance schemes and hayracks planted up in the Rempstone Centre, plus the verge outside Westport House, and a flower bed near Sainsburys. Not forgetting the Library wall, Churchwood Court in West Street and the war memorial in North Street. Flower beds by the police station have also been cared for plus a Coronation flowering cherry planted outside Purbeck School in 2023. All of our colourful floral displays, with plants supplied by a local nursery, help to improve the environmental quality of the air and attract our very welcome visitors together with giving Wareham residents a feeling of a prime Britain in Bloom goal: Pride of Place.
Community
Community Competition criteria is not all about flowers. Community life in Wareham is very evident with many residents and businesses displaying their own gardening and floral efforts.
These are recognised by the WCG’s Local ‘In Bloom’ competition every year. 2025 awards were presented in October at the Town Hall in various categories, to reward residents, community groups and businesses including public houses, together with various categories of a SSEIB ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ award. In 2025/26 many community organisations have all contributed to the horticultural effort in the town – see right.
Local community groups who contribute to Wareham in Bloom
• Northmoor Wildlife Haven
• Moretons Lane volunteers for Moretons Corner garden
• Stoborough WI volunteers at the Library Garden.
• Wareham Rotary.
• Wareham Men’s Shed.
• Friends of Wareham Hospital.
• Wareham District Development Trust.
• WCG – the ‘Garden Rescue’ sub group.
• Town Pound and Almshouses support groups – local residents.
• The Friends of Wareham Railway Station
• A local Hedgehog support group.
• Sustainable Wareham
Environment
Wareham has contributed to environmental enhancements in many ways and has not forgotten its approaches to the town for visitors to our ‘Gateway Town to the Jurassic Coast’ – hopefully persuading them to stop awhile. Roundabouts, verge maintenance, litter picking by Town Council ground staff are all included, plus support for the Sustainable Wareham Group.
Street cleaning is also a priority for the Growers, especially approaching Judging Day! The Dorset Waste Partnership’s street cleaner was superceded in 2023 by operatives from the Town Council who have a daily routine of sweeping the pavements and litter picking around the Town Centre, including the Quay and south bank of the River Frome. This now includes weekends on a rota system.
Dorset Council also supplies a road sweeper vehicle to clean the roads and gutters throughout the town. A Town Council Operations Officer is qualified to carry out weeding along the pavements and verges as well as at the Quay, plus keeping the street hedgerows cut back and removing graffiti. Recycling bins are located around Wareham in local car parks at Howards Lane and Streche Road and at the River Frome, South Bank opposite the Quay. Combined litter/dog bins are provided in and around the town for collection by Dorset Waste Partnership. The Wareham Recycling Centre is heavily used locally and has recently posted an impressive 82% recycling rate for all incoming material.
Growers’ Chairman Sue Dean says “We are a volunteer group working closely with the Town Council, local volunteers and community groups. It is a great honour to have been selected twice in five years to represent Wareham at the national Britain in Bloom Competition. Together with our South and East in Bloom entry, we await our results in September and October, having been judged in July. A huge thank you to all our WCG members, local volunteer groups,Town Council staff and local residents for all your efforts this last year in keeping our town beautifully in bloom! Clean, tidy and environmentally friendly for all to appreciate. Good luck, Wareham! “
Join our group!
If you wish to help us in any way, or join our group for planting up displays, fundraising and/or attending occasional meetings please contact our Secretary, Jacquie on 07890139038, find us on Facebook at ‘Wareham Community Growers’ or email us at warehamcommunitygrowers@gmail.com
