Archive - Thursday, 24 October 2002


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Ryedale appeal over bloom 'apathy'

A FRESH appeal has gone out to businesses in a Ryedale town to make more of an effort as part of the Pickering in Bloom competition.

Councillors have agreed that new tactics had to be employed to persuade traders to put on colourful displays to re-establish Pickering as the judges' favourite.

Coun Natalie Warriner said something needed to be done.

"It's about getting the town enthused enough to help us, particularly in the spring judging, and I don't know how we are going to do that, to be quite frank with you.

"Maybe it's time to go round all the businesses and say, come on, let's really make an effort, and I am quite happy to go round them all as mayor to talk to each one."

Coun Betsy Hill said it was frustrating when businesses decided not to put in the effort to keep the town looking as wonderful as it might.

"It does seem we bang our heads against this wall constantly," she said.

"Some years some people seem to make a really big effort, and then the next year they don't bother. It seems incredible that people can't spend five minutes with a watering can."

Coun Gaynor De Barr agreed that apathy in the town was a problem.

"It's the same perennial problem that we have," she said.

"The community do us proud - the private houses and the allotments - and it's the business side time and again."

But she said she believed there were ways to encourage traders to take a more active role.

"I really feel that what we should be doing is bringing in the business sectors from other very successful towns and let them talk to the businesses rather than us."

Coun De Barr said she felt certain that businesses were more likely to listen to traders who had tasted real success in their own towns.

"We need to identify pro-active business people within those areas and get them here to explain how their businesses have actually profited from what they have put in collectively," she said.

Updated: 12:38 Thursday, October 24, 2002