The formation and development of Hopton in Bloom

 

Thirteen years ago, several members of the Community Association voiced an intention to try and improve the environment of Upper Hopton. The fundamentals of our village, unique old buildings, a wide range of dwellings, the church, an attractive community centre, the Club, the recreation ground and the cricket field, open green and wooded banks were all waiting to be made more special with a little thought and attention.

 

The churchyard is an attraction to villagers and visitors with its wonderful display of daffodils (a photo appeared on the cover of The Ford Motor magazine for 1942),so our pleasure in the village as a whole would be really enhanced with a focus of effort just outside our own garden walls and gateways and in some specific areas around the village.

 

The Hopton in Bloom group has the objective of enhancing the environment and conservation of our village and its heritage via an entry in the Yorkshire in Bloom competition and the involvement of the residents. We have the motivation and enthusiasm to improve our environment involving all aspects of our local community. We look to promote sustainable gardening (for example by encouraging people to plant shrubs that do not need to be watered daily), involve community groups in the creation and understanding of wildflowers and wildlife.

 

After meetings of the working group to establish specific aims for Upper Hopton, within the framework of the Yorkshire in Bloom Scheme. Four major areas of attention emerged:

 

• General improvements to the village environment overall e.g. repairing dry stone walls and clearing accumulated debris from perimeter walls and hedge bottoms

• Sustainable long term planting such as ornamental trees, birch, beech and decorative shrubs

• Short term planting of perennials, self seeding flowers, bulbs and annual bedding plants

• Creating a River of Wildlife throughout the village

 

We developed the `Rose Garden’ and created a woodland area behind by screening it with a trellis fence with two archways and it is now focal point for spring and summer flowering shrubs, bulbs and plants.

 A map of all the wild life sites we encouraged is on display in Croft House and is now on our web site for all to see, comment  on and make       further suggestions.

    

More recently the working group has expanded from the original six to seventeen.  Although we have a formal structure and minutes of our monthly meetings are distributed, we are a friendly group, meeting each month in the local Club.

 

Many of the village residents who, though not attending our regular meetings or project mornings, do their bit to keep the village looking good and help in many other ways by adopting small areas, creating our publicity material, producing signs     for our events and generally help out in many ad hoc ways.

 

We have completed several new projects, including gradually replacing the 32 barrels round the village, with self watering tubs, establishing a wildlife and wildflower garden, a bed of rhododendrons and azaleas and clearing the surrounding area.  We have raised funds for our projects, enjoyed the social activities, held garden trails and have received some very generous sponsorship.