In this post, Informed Choice director Andy Bamford explains her passion for gardening and Cranleigh in Bloom.
As a very keen gardener, local resident and owner of a High Street business, I have been delighted to have been involved with Cranleigh in Bloom this year, recently joining the committee and helping with work parties on the village flower beds.
Our company, Informed Choice, a firm of Independent Financial Planners based in Cranleigh since 1994, are supporters and sponsors for many events in and around the village and I believe that Cranleigh in Bloom is so valuable for the community that we wanted to do what we could to help.
Our office at Sundial House is located on the High Street. It was recently selected as a Building of Local Merit and the architect Thomas Wade went on to design the Village Hall. We were therefore pleased to sponsor the three flower troughs on the island outside the Village Hall, recognising this historic link between the buildings.
We have been diligently watering and deadheading the troughs and the hanging baskets on the Village Hall since their arrival in May. What has been particularly pleasing is the number of people who comment on the displays and tell us how lovely Cranleigh looks. Of course it will only stay that way if the watering can be kept up, which I know is not always easy when we are all so busy.
There has been such a lot of negative news recently about the plans for changes in Cranleigh, in particular additional housing, so making our High Street look so attractive with the addition of beautiful floral displays is a positive and practical way of contributing to the village.
We all need to be proactive in making Cranleigh thrive in as many ways as we can to benefit local residents and business owners today and in the future; Cranleigh in Bloom is working hard to do their part by filling the village with flowers.
