Town awaits In Bloom verdict

Judges Frank Mason and Barry Newman were greeted by members of the specially created In Bloom committee at the town council offices.

The Express asked the judges for their first impressions before they were give a tour of the town.

Mr Mason said: 'We are pleased to be here and it is great to have a new entry in the In Bloom competition.

'For a first time entry we are looking to see that all of the principles of the competition are really embraced.

'It is about healthy communities and it is nice to see community involvement here.'

Mr Newman added: 'We are really pleased to welcome Hailsham to this competition.

'You have got very enthusiastic people here and we are really looking forward to today.

'From our visit we will be giving feedback and suggest ways and ideas for improvement.'

The judges' itinerary took them all over the town. In particular they were monitoring anti-vandalism, recycling, and environmentally-friendly and wildlife protection measures.

The Deputy Mayor of Hailsham, Cllr Jeff Bentley-Astor, said: 'We have some unique projects that I hope will impress the judges.

'Prizes are not our main concern, we are working hard to improve our town for the benefit of the people who live there, so in that contest we are winners,

'We know that we won't be in contention for gold as this is only our first year, but I hope we will win an award of some sort.'

Cllr Bentley-Astor said the In Bloom committee had worked 'extremely hard.'