Rustington ready for European adventure

Following on from a monumental effort during this year’s Britain in Bloom competition, in which the village was crowned national category champion, Rustington has now been invited to enter the Entente Florale Europe, the Continent’s largest, and most prestigious competition for communities who put a major emphasis on saying it with flowers.

Rustington was whittled down from more than 22,000 towns, cities and villages across Europe, to be the only British representative out of the 12 being judged in next year’s competition.

Rustington Parish Council chairman, Andy Cooper, was thrilled when he heard the news. He said: “I think it’s huge, not just for Rustington, but for the entire county. After all the success we have had in the past, we couldn’t have asked for anything more. And what a year to be invited. We’ve got the Queen’s jubilee celebrations in the village and then the Olympic events, too.

“It’s going to be a massive year for Rustington.”

The village has already begun preparations for the competition, which is rumoured to take place at the same time as the London Olympic games.

On Thursday, Michael Harwood, of Ferring Nurseries, which played a pivotal role in designing the village’s award-winning floral displays, this year, visited Rustington to plan what he hopes will be a floral display that will take the judges’ breath away.

He said: “We are going to have a spectacular Olympic-themed display, as well as all the other arrangements in the village.

“It’s a massive honour for Ferring Nurseries to take part in such a prestigious competition. It’s pretty much the biggest horticultural event around.”

Michael added that he could not yet give away the secrets to his Olympic design but said it would be one of the most ambitious features the village had seen.

Valerie Narayanaswamy, chairman of the overall organising group, Rustington in Bloom, said she and her committee members received the invitation to enter Entente Florale Europe with a mixture of disbelief, excitement and bride.

“This is a real accolade for Rustington, recognising the efforts and successes over the last few years. It is both exciting and daunting, a real challenge. Entering Britain in Bloom was a challenge, but this will be even more demanding.”

Andy said: “We will work tirelessly with our community to produce the best display yet. It’s a lot of pressure, but one which this council will not shy away from.”

Rustington will find out the exact date of the judging next year.