Ely Mayor John Yates to lead bloom judging

JUDGING for the revamped Ely in Bloom competition starts on Tuesday, with a panel of keen gardeners set to cast their eyes over the city’s best and brightest foliage.

Led by City of Ely Mayor John Yates, a panel of six judges will be out and about across the city bright and early to judge the best the city has to offer.

Awards for best hanging basket, best shop window, best flower bed and best sheltered housing communal garden will be up for grabs, with dozens of entrants in contention.

Mayor Yates told the Ely Standard: “I’m certainly looking forward to judging, I think there will be some very interesting entrants.

“It is a new format for this year and will be a competition run by Ely for Ely.”

In previous years Ely has competed alongside big cities with substantial budgets in the independently judged Anglia in Bloom competition but the city’s bloom committee decided to opt out of the race for 2011 in favour of a more localised competition. The winners of this year’s event will be announced at a special presentation evening held later in the summer.