251-08 City stars shine through as Stoke-on-Trent gets gold

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Let Us Entertain You display has hit gold at the Tatton Park Show. The entertainment themed flower bed, which celebrates the city’s connections with theatre, music, film and literature, has received the highest accolade at the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society(RHS) show.

Robbie William’s mum Jan and sister Sally were at the Cheshire park yesterday(22) to view the display.  Mrs Williams said: “It is not just about Robbie but all the entertainment in the city, and the people who come from the Potteries. The Potteries have a lot of famous entertainers and they should all be remembered. It is such a creative place and this design reflects that.”

Cllr Roger Ibbs, Stoke-on-Trent City Council portfolio holder for Regeneration and Economic Development, praised the hard work of the city council’s Tatton Park Team. He said: “Gold is the highest award the council could have received and we are so honoured to be awarded the medal. It is an accumulation of months of hard work with the team perfecting everything from the design to the planting. The result shows that Stoke-on-Trent is a winning city with a wealth of creativity.”

 More than 7,000 plants, grown at the city council’s Greenhouse 2000 site, make up the design. It includes a laser cut metal screen which divides the flower bed in two with each area depicting a different era of entertainment.  Music tiers are created from deep red, orange and yellow begonias. Layers of coleus form the stage and curtains with footlights exploding out the stage in bright yellow cannas.

Last year the city council’s entry won a gold medal and was awarded Best in Show beating 19 other local authorities in the process. It was also awarded the Wigan Cup, a trophy offered to the best exhibit shown to the RHS during the year by a local authority.