Potted colour brightens up streets

Baskets of brightly coloured petunias have been installed along Bridgetown’s main street to beautify the town and increase its appeal to tourists.

Peter Vowles led the team of volunteers involved in growing the flowers and installing baskets to create a display similar to those seen in parts of England.

“We’ve got 15 on the Bridgetown Hotel and 20 on the Freemasons and another couple outside the Emporium,” Mr Vowles said.

The idea is to add to the heritage appeal of the town, making an impact on the many visitors drawn to an area which increasingly relies on tourism.

“It’s part of the garden festival, part of the blues, part of Bridgetown’s tourism industry, part of the pride of the Bridgetown community, it’s all of those things,” Mr Vowles said.

The baskets were potted up by members of the Ashbil Community Garden, including Don Barker and Jennie Linto. Others involved were Linda Noack and Ben Lake, who custom made a bracket for a couple of baskets hanging outside Blackwood Fresh, Mr Vowles said.

John Lucey, another volunteer involved, said shop owners had embraced the project and agreed to water the flower baskets.

“It’s been a great partnership,” he said.

“I suppose our whole thing is just to add to the wow experience when people drive through town. Hopefully it encourages them to stop, shop and enjoy the town,” he said.

“What we would hope is that this is just the start – we would hope that the whole main street gets on board.”