Preparing and planting the flower beds

Dates have been set for these two major tasks and we welcome help from anyone who would care to join us.
Saturday 3rd May and Sunday 4th May we will be preparing the beds by cutting down the leaf foliage from the daffodils and edging the borders. Starting at 9.30 each day.
Sunday 25th May we will be planting the beds along the Palace Walls
Monday 26th May we will be planting the beds on the Old Station Roundabout.
This is just chance to be creative.

For more information collow this link to our What’s On pages

Waterer Wanted

We are seeking to recruit 1 or 2 people to join our 2 current  waterers. The team decides on a rota that is suitable to them all.
Watering takes approximately 2 hours per day either early each morning or late evening when there is little traffic in the centre of town.  The baskets and planters are watered from late May until September.

A driving license is essential. The water comes from a large water tank in our 30 cwt transit van. 
Applicants need to be reasonably fit.

To discuss in more detail please contact our Treasurer, Ian Leesmith on
ian.leesmith@btinternet.com  or telephone 01489 895795.
Or use the contacts page of our website www.bishopswalthaminbloom.org.uk

Annual Front Garden Competition

An article about our from garden competition appeared in the April edition of the Parish News. It detailed the different categories there are and what the judges are looking for.
the competition entry form will appear in the May editionof the Parish News but both can be found by following this link ANNUAL FRONT GARDEN COMPETITION 2025

Photographs of previous winners can be found by following this link

Spring displays

We hope you are appreciating the daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths in the verges, on Old Station Roundabout and in the flower beds.

Planted by children from the youth clubs 8 years ago these daffodils along the Corhampton Road make us realise that spring is here.

Along the Winchester Road and near the bus stop. The camelia will soon be in full flower.

Quiz Night 2025

On Saturday 1st February we held our 15^th Annual Quiz Night. Simon Tooley has been our Quiz Master every year and we presented him with a hamper to say thank you.
We had 27 teams taking part. 
The themes of the rounds were: “Bond theme tunes”; “Matching towns to counties”; “All sounds a bit fishy”; “Quotes and catchphrases”; “Symbols and logos” and finally “Dingbats”.  Scores varied but only 2 rounds had any team scoring full marks.
“Dingbats” were distributed at the beginning for the teams to work on throughout the evening. There were 48 to work out with the highest score being 39 and the lowest 22.
As usual we served a ploughman’s supper part way through the evening, catering for gluten-free and lactose-intolerant guests as well.  Fresh fruit was also served.
Both the winning team and the losing teams were presented with prizes: Bonnet Saints United receiving a “grow your own” herb pot and Patently Absurd a bottle of wine each.  This is not the first time Patently Absurd have won our quiz. This year they scored 134 out of a possible 148!

A full scoresheet can be found by CLICKING HERE

Sizzling Sausages

A huge thank you to everyone who visited our Sizzling Sausage stall on Thursday 28th November at the Christmas Fayre.
We raised just short of £600 towards our running costs for 2025.

Beavers planting daffodils

On Sunday 3rd November a group of Beavers met at the Scout Hut to plant daffodils. Two 5kg bags were quickly dug into an area at the far end of the recreation ground. When they flower in March and April they will be visible from the public footpath that runs alongside the sports ground.

Country Fayre, St Peter’s Church, Saturday 21st September

A huge thank you to all those who visited our stall on Saturday.
We were selling some of our yarn bombing, some books, garden sundries and plants.
Our treasure garden was a huge success too with around 120 children (and adults too) trying to decide where the treasure was.

The winner was a two year old boy who has recently moved to Bishop’s Waltham.

We took around £100 on the stall, a pleasing result.
Where was the treasure?…under the middle of the climbing frame!

To view a gallery of photographs taken on the day PLEASE CLICK HERE

Thank you to all of you who bought plants and had refreshments too. The profit from these go towards our fundraising for our running costs each year.

Many of you continued to visit even when it was raining and we are sure that your guide got soggy.
If you are the sort of person who likes to keep the guide as a souvenir, then please send a stamped addressed envelope to 32 Mallard Close, Bishop’s Waltham SO32 1LW, for the number of guides your require.