Tavistock’s admired Britain in Bloom (BIB) entries this year could be the last as the town has decided not to enter again.

However, the town will remain a rich ‘green’ enviromentally aware place with public displays and other sustainable projects remaining as in past years.

Tavistock organisers of BIB also say the ethos behind the competition differs from their’s in that BIB often rewards more colourful traditionally accepted displays - compared with the sustainable entries favoured in the town.

The town’s partnership between Tavistock Community Garden project, the town council and the Business Improvement District or BID, has struck gold in the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual awards and won numerous accolades since first entering in 2014.

However, the recession and inflationary pressures have struck with manpower and resources forcing the partnership to abandon the BIB as a competition, but continue to redirect resources into its own long-term renowned ‘green’ projects.

Janna Sanders, BID chair, said: ‘The partnership has decided we will not be entering the Britain in Bloom awards next year. The town has done really well in it and all the partners and the people involved have put Tavistock on the map as far as the entries go. I believe the competition has helped kick-start the on-going environmental projects which are taking the town forward into a more environmentally friendly future.

‘However, the competition is too costly and labour intensive to enter any more. There are other priorities in for BID to do with the town’s economy which we should be directing our resources at, especially in the current inflationary climate.’

She added that the Britain in Bloom entries nationally were more flower-based traditional themes, than Tavistock’s more sustainable entries.

She said it is hoped the hanging baskets and planters would continue. Other larger scale green on-going projects are also expected to continue, such as the rewilding of the cemetery’s green burial meadow, the sensory garden, managed wildlife corridors.

Ali Sedgwick, chair of Tavistock Community Garden, project said: ‘The hidden costs of Britain in Bloom have become too great. We can use their framework for assessing our successes without the need for external verification. All the gardening will continue with much reduced administration.’

A report to the town council said: ‘The working partners feel the experience of entering Britain in Bloom has provided an invaluable framework within which to reflect and evaluate the communities collaborative working going forward, and that now is an appropriate time to take a break from the competition. It has therefore been decided the town nor Tavistock BID will enter Britain in Bloom 2023.’ This excludes the ‘In Your Neighbourhood Schemes’.

The report added: ‘Tavistock in Bloom achieved a Silver Gilt which is extremely positive and a credit to everyone’s hard work and dedication in a challenging (drought) year.

‘Tavistock BID won gold for their entry.’