Praise for unsung heroes of In Bloom who brought gold to North East Lincolnshire

MEMBERS of team NELC were praised for their Olympic-style efforts in bringing gold to North East Lincolnshire.

The grounds and maintenance and street cleansing teams with NELC were praised by the heads of the In Bloom committees for Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

A meal was laid on for the workers who made sure the borough was looking its best for In Bloom judges when they visited the area in the summer and awarded Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham as outstanding.

Committee members said they hoped the Britain In Bloom awards could be held in Cleethorpes next summer.

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The big date for the resort would mark the 50th anniversary of The Royal Horticultural Society and the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first trains in Cleethorpes.

At the celebration dinner at Littlefields Club, in Grimsby, vice-chairman of Cleethorpes In Bloom Jeff Blanchard said: "If these guys did not succeed in what they do we would not exist. It is all thanks to them."

In Bloom chairman Bob Callison said: "We do this every year to say thank you to the unsung heroes of the event.

"These are the people who get up at 5am to make sure the area is looking at its best. These are the people behind the scenes who make it happen. They are the ones who pick up the litter and make sure the gardens are spectacular and make sure North East Lincolnshire is looking special."

Elaine Atkinson, chairman of Grimsby In Bloom said: "The general public do not see them so much because they are up at the crack of dawn and they do it in all weathers.

"This is a chance for them all to get together and show that we are all a team."

Groundsmen Daniel Power, John Taylor and Kevin Petty said they were proud to be part of the successful partnership between North East Lincolnshire Council and the In Bloom committees for Immingham, Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Daniel said: "It was a fantastic result this year and well deserved."

John added: "It was a lot of work in the drought when he had to get the watering done from Chapman's Pond. We were up 5am most mornings."

Street cleaner Andy Thompson said Cleethorpes seafront would be easier to clean if visitors took their rubbish home with them and businesses in the resort did their part to ensure the area was kept clean.

He said: "At 6am it is a mess. It would help if people did more to look after their area and be more careful with their litter."

Kevin Petty said: "The success we had was worth the effort."

North East Lincolnshire council parks and open spaces manager Rod Dean said: "It has been a great achievement. That is down to the partnership we share."