Milton Keynes in Bloom

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th Sep 2006

Milton Keynes has scooped the coveted Britain in Bloom awards. At a recent ceremony organised by the Royal Horticultural Society and held at Olney, the city was awarded a Silver Gilt and Winner status in the Best Large City category of the Thames and Chiltern Region. This was a joint entry between Milton Keynes Council and The Parks Trust.

Britain in Bloom is a campaign which encourages communities of all sizes to make positive and lasting improvements to their local areas for the benefit of local people.

A panel of judges from Britain in Bloom visited Milton Keynes to score the city on the quality of its environment and the care being taken with its day-to-day management.

The score also highlighted the city's good practice in the environment by encouraging recycling, the establishment of conservation areas, and other sustainable projects such as Willen Lake (one of the best bird watching sites in the region), Linford Wood and Wildlife Meadow (1,000 species of British plants) and the Hanson Environmental Study Centre (a 100-acre site with a variety of habitats supporting a great diversity of plant and animal life).

Commenting on the award the judges said: "As first-time visitors to the city, the judges were impressed by the extent and quality of the structure planting that has such a great impact on the appearance of Milton Keynes. Seasonal flower displays were also very much in evidence, so the city is by no means exclusively 'green', and the overall standard of environmental care is obvious."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member for the environment, said: "We are delighted with these awards. They demonstrate the efforts that the Council and its partners are making to improve the quality of life of residents and to make the city one of the most environmentally-friendly places to live in the UK. I commend all those who have worked tirelessly to make this a success."

In addition, Milton Keynes received the National Bio-Diversity Award, which covered Willen Lake, grid road initiatives and the Hanson Centre. In awarding this prize the judges said: "It was perhaps inevitable that the region's 'City in the Countryside' would be making a strong claim for this award."

Olney were also Silver Gilt winners and joint winners with Woodstock in the Small Towns category. Stony Stratford's St Giles and St Mary's Church garden and Wolverton's Secret Garden scooped the Neighbourhood award for taking responsibility to green-up and regenerate their local environment.