13 Oct Silver award proves Halifax is blooming marvellous
Halifax has won a coveted Silver Gilt award in the national In Bloom competition, meaning the town has regained the high standard it last reached in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.
The award is a real boost for the town and acknowledges collective efforts to make Halifax a smarter and more appealing destination both for residents and visitors alike. Among other things, competition judges complimented the town’s beautiful heritage buildings, with special mentions for the Piece Hall, Borough Market, Halifax Minster and the Town Hall. Attention was also drawn to the attractive mixture of old and new in Halifax town centre, which was praised for its modern and vibrant atmosphere co-existing alongside its celebration of fine historic architecture. Tree-lined streets, the Minster gardens and a special sedum ‘living roof’ roof at Broad Street Plaza also caught the judges’ eyes.
Like much of the floral and decorative work itself, Halifax’s competition entry was organised by Discover Halifax as part of its ongoing campaign to improve the town centre. The non-profitmaking organisation is funded using an annual levy paid by Halifax businesses and it uses this money to carry out a range activities including promoting the town, keeping it attractive and making sure it’s safe for everyone. In November last year, Discover Halifax won a mandate to continue its work for a further five years, and the In Bloom judges were impressed by the commitment and dedication of its team.
Project Manager, Chloe McNeill, explained,
“Making Halifax a nicer, brighter place for both residents and visitors has always been one of our goals here at Discover Halifax, and we’re thrilled to know that the experts think we’re achieving that. The award also recognises the hard work of so many different people, and it proves that investing time, energy and money in our town centre really does pay off. Most importantly, a smarter-looking Halifax should help to bring new business into the town, and that helps the local economy and safeguards local jobs.”
