COMMUNITY groups who won RHS Britain in Bloom awards for efforts to make Tavistock a greener and cleaner place have been presented with their certificates in the town’s Sensory Garden.

Receiving the highest accolade, Level 5 ‘outstanding’, was the team behind the Sensory Garden, a collaboration between a number of groups in the town to provide a dementia-friendly garden for the community.

Tavistock mayor Philip Sanders presented the certificate to project manager John Ladlow, a retired horticulturalist leading a team which has involved members of Roots to Transition, the Lions and Rotary clubs and Tavistock Town Council in all aspects, from design to finance and construction.

The garden off Plymouth Road has been three years in the planning and is costing some £36,000 to build, with most of the funds now raised. The structure is now in place, having been built in just six months by contractor Guy Tyrer and plants are now being ordered.

It is hoped that the garden will be complete in time for Christmas, and Alzheimer’s Society ambassador Angela Rippon has been invited to open it.

Mr Ladlow said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to bits to get this award. The judges came around in July and I made a presentation telling them what we were planning to do. The result of this is that they have given us the highest accolade which we are thrilled to bits with.

‘We haven’t finished by a long way, though, because a garden isn’t a garden until we have plants in it. One of the judges said it was one of the best sensory gardens they had ever seen. I’m saying in the words of Ronald Reagan ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet!’

The mayor also presented RHS Britain in Bloom certificates to other Tavistock groups at the ceremony in the garden on Wednesday, October 25. They were all commended for their efforts to brighten up Tavistock, whether through imaginative planting or litter picking.

Receiving the Level 4 ‘thriving’ commendation was Tavistock Museum’s Heritage Vegetable Plot, by the former Old Folk’s Rest Room,Tidy Tavi and the Cottage Garden. The Canal Beds and Rose Walk each received Level 3 ‘advancing’.

Mr Sanders said: ‘On behalf of the town, I would like to thank each and every one of you and your groups, because it is very important that people are willing to give up their time to do these sort of things.

‘Anything at all that promotes Tavistock and encourages people to come in and visit Tavistock is to be welcomed by the town council and residents. You and your groups are contributing to the welfare of the people of Tavistock.’