After its great success in winning The Small Coastal Resort Award in the recent Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom competition, St. Brelade has been honoured by The European Association for Flowers and Landscape with the request to represent The United Kingdom in their Annual Competition, among 12 European Countries, which have entered their best Towns and Villages for assessment by a Panel of Judges appointed by each entering Country. The competition was initiated in 1975 and St. Brelade has been put forward by The Royal Horticultural Society with the aim to achieve Gold or Silver Awards under the Entente Florale revised rules introduced in 1996.
The European entries are supported by Ministries, Departments of Agriculture, Tourism, horticulture bodies and associations in each Country and by companies with Corporate, Social Responsibility principles. The prestigious Awards bring international publicity and encourage village and town life and the development of tourism to the benefit of the larger communities around them.
The European Association for Flowers and Landscape describes its aims:
Our Association is an international non-profit association, and its overall aims are social and cultural development to enhance Horticulture, Tourism and Environment.
For realizing these aims we encourage actions that foster a better quality of life for urban dwellers.
The Association organizes an international competition known as 'Entente Florale Europe', in order to promote a greener and more pleasant environment in European towns and villages and to facilitate international contacts among the participants, based on reference towns and villages network.
Through this annual competition, public authorities, private bodies and individuals are encouraged to cooperate in beautifying their towns and villages thereby improving the quality of life for both inhabitants and visitors, by the planting of flowers and shrubs, by the development and maintenance of green spaces and parks and by generally fostering development which is ecologically and environmentally sensitive.
The Aim of the Competition
The overall aim of the competition is the improvement of the quality of life for local urban and village communities. To this end the competition fosters; the greening of towns and villages, flowers, shrubs, green spaces, parks, development which is environmentally and ecologically sensitive and educational and communication initiatives which promote environmental awareness.
St. Brelade was specifically invited as the Village to represent The United Kingdom in 2010.
This would be the first entry from The States of Jersey for the European Entente Florale, since the original inception of the competition in 1975. Whether Gold or Silver is awarded to Villages and Towns which enter these competitions, there are Marketing and Promotion opportunities for the communities around the Towns, and Villages receiving these awards and for the organizations which support the entry with sponsorship.
The cost of the UK entry includes a cost/fee paid through the Royal Horticultural Society to the Entente Florale of 2,100 Euros, which is administered by the RHS and allocated 2/3rd to the Town and 1/3rd to the Village Entry. The total cost reported by the village of Forres from their Gold Award entry to the 2009 Competition was £5,634 including presentations, publications and accommodation and entertainment of the Judges. Towns and some villages in Europe make a major event of the judges’ attendance in their communities, with pageants and musical events, but that is not intended to be, nor is it a consideration in the process of awarding points under the many categories of floral, environmental, and educational achievement which form their judgment. We can assume a total cost to St. Brelade of around £6,000. The visiting UK Judge informed the meeting, 30.11.09, that sum needed would be less than £10,000. However, as this project would bring a significant increase in tourists generally, it is thought that a donation from the States Tourism Department would be fitting. This entry needs to be covered by grants and by underwriting by February 2010.
As with Britain in Bloom, we are advised by Clive Addison, one of the judges for the competition, who has been appointed Mentor to St. Brelade for their entry (and so will not take part in the assessment of St. Brelade) that “Environment not Bloom” and “Community” and “Quality of Life” for both residents and visitors head the criteria. The involvement of residents, the local authorities, and local companies, organizations and schools is of high importance.
The Mentoring process, to be provided by Clive Addison, is of much importance, as he will be there to follow the progress of planning, our emphasis on the best environmental, floral, educational, recycling, and sustainability projects and routes for the judges, presentations, publicity, publications and the appropriate entertainment anticipated by the judges. He recommends three mentoring visits which will be part of the total cost noted above. Any accommodation offered by residents will help control costs.
Entry forms are due now, but specifically the decision to enter needs to be resolved by the beginning of the year. The Identity Form, describing the community, is needed by the beginning of February in time for the Judges to meet on 6th – 8th February. Judging takes place in late July, 2010.
Before the Judges reach Jersey, they need to receive Tourist/General Information about St. Brelade and Jersey as a whole. And how St. Brelade fits into the overall island picture. This can be existing publications of Island Tourism and of St. Brelade, extracted from St. Brelade or Britain in Bloom. It is needed for the meeting on 6th February.
A preliminary Portfolio is then prepared and published to reach the organizers by the end of May. This can include a CD or DVD, but it would be an introductory portfolio with the strategy of the Village, with reference to sustainability, energy saving, and biodiversity, not just horticulture.
Because of the European dimension of the competition, in every usage, Metric Measure, Euros, and use of the words Local People, not Community (which means Local Authority in some European languages) should be used. English is the language of the Judges, but our Mentor suggest that some translation into Italian would be popular, but not essential.
The Presentation, Brochure and the Judges’ tour: These require meticulous planning and preparation and nothing less than a full dress rehearsal of the vehicle and facilities on the tour, the timing step by step, unloading and reloading times, a lunch break of one full hour, convenience stops, coffee breaks, at points where this can combine with assessment of a site and, above all, time to catch up when time is lost somewhere en route. Starting and finishing on time is essential. Judges have to visit every Town and Village entering the competition.
Criteria:
This is clearly set out in the Judges point system and that needs to be the basis of emphasis in presentations and the tour. Too much time on a low scoring site or activity is unwise.
There are some curious points in the guidelines; A visit to a church, a cemetery, an Eco School, to a heritage site, to a site of architectural interest, a point about town planning, dealing with potential global warming related floods or improvements to road safety and recent benefits for tourists, evidence of local company involvement in volunteering, and how do we treat litter mongers.
Publicity:
The more publicity before, and during the competition we can generate the more the Judges will see respect for their work and for the competition. Extolling the difference of Jersey from other countries which enter is well regarded: Lots of flags and Entente Florale banners. Radio interviews, Jersey Television to bring out the populace to be there while the judges are in town. Shops showing interest with window dressing, roadside advertisements, and welcoming notices in shops. All can help, but none are essential if the judges really find something special under the criteria in St. Brelade. Attendance of The Connetable to greet the Judges, or take part in a welcoming entertainment, so also attendance at some point of The Governor, or Bailiff. Judges like to find a real welcome, but that is not what they are judging.
Gold or Silver:
85 – 100 points: GOLD
75 - 84 points: SILVER
65 – 74 points: Bronze
Clive Addison, who is a very experienced RHS Britain in Bloom and Entente Florale Judge said that St. Brelade should think of nothing less than going for GOLD!
A strong committee of active supporters was required so a chairman was appointed, and a team assembled to undertake specific responsibilities. Their tasks were to raise funding, seek grants & sponsorship, and line up leaders to get company, school and resident volunteers to make St. Brelade even more beautiful than it truly was when it became the GOLD Award winner as the Best Coastal Resort in the UK in Britain in Bloom, 2009.