Walton-in-Flower
We are actively working towards the goal of making our town more beautiful! And one sure fire way of doing that - without great cost but with great effect - is by increasing the amount of flowers in a town.
Autumn 2019 Update
We hope that residents and visitors will have noticed some changes that we have made during the summer months. We are pleased to report that the last few new planters have been installed in the High Street to replace the old, rusty units. In Terrace Road, we have installed three new planters. Small bay trees that WoTTA bought last year were being stolen! These have now been replaced with large olive trees (pictured below), again purchased by WoTTA..
WoTTA is now applying to the Elmbridge Borough Council Community Planting Fund for low-maintenance, long-flowering bedding plants for the bases of the 14 planters that are now installed. We hope that these plants will add colour, flowers for bees and help to prevent littering and weeds growing in the planters.
ONGOING
WALTON CRICKET CLUB
Our latest project has been to take on Walton Cricket Club's flowerbeds. They were looking very unloved, and as an area that suffers with ASB we felt making it look better would help the situation. Together with Graham Mann of WCC, WoTTA connected with volunteers from Fortem and Judy from Walton-in-Flower and we came up with an action plan. We decided to take the amalanchiers from the High Street planters and use them as the backdrop for the new beds, at the same time upgrading what's in the High Street with evergreen lollipop Bay trees. (see below for more info on High Street). Now we've just got to decide what smaller plants will go in, and we're all done! Just in time for the Beer, Wine & Music Festival in July.
What we've already achieved:
HIGH STREET PLANTERS
We thought it would be lovely to have something green at the main junction of Bridge Street/Church Street. To make that happen, WoTTA applied for funding from the Community Improvement Fund at SCC for two new planters at that junction. However, along the funding route, we were advised not to get the same type that were already in the High Street (see above) that were looking decidedly worn, but to get durable plastic self-watering planters. They proved to be much cheaper - so have were able to order eight for the same cost. This meant the two new ones, plus replacing six existing, worn planters along the High Street. That was done in late October!
We managed to save and replant the nice central plants into the new planters, as well as recycle the old planters and soil by donating them to the Walton Allotments. #recycle #reuse #community |
Very kindly sponsored by:
If you would like to sponsor or volunteer to get involved with Walton-in-Flower, please check out our Sponsorship Options or Get in Touch
Our aims are:
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COWEY SALE
WoTTA helped organise a joint venture between EBC and 12 children from Ashley School to do a wildflower planting day in the flower beds at Cowey Sale Car Park on 8th May. Today the beds look amazing! #workingtogether #community!
WoTTA helped organise a joint venture between EBC and 12 children from Ashley School to do a wildflower planting day in the flower beds at Cowey Sale Car Park on 8th May. Today the beds look amazing! #workingtogether #community!
May 2016
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May 2017
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July 2017
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GINO'S CAFE
The flower beds were desperately in need of some care and attention, so a Walton-in-Bloom team got down there and started the job by digging over and weeding the area in preparation for some planting. We followed up with a lovely brick edging and the planting. I think you'll agree, it looked lovely just in time for Heritage Day on September 9th! 
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HANGING BASKETS
In May 2017 WoTTA completed a survey of the hanging basket brackets on lampposts in Walton. Long story short, it turned out we were not getting the correct allocation of baskets (42) from EBC. WoTTA gave the council an updated list, including locations for new brackets, to meet our allocation. This is all at no cost to us. :) UPDATE: Burley's suppliers let them down and the Summer 2017 hanging baskets were late and of poor quality. The council are negotiating potential winter baskets to make up for this. No new baskets arrived in 2017, but this year in 2018 we finally have all our allocation and in the correct places, with Bridge Street seeing it's first hanging baskets for years! |
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LAMPPOST BANNERS
We got funding from SCC Civic Improvement Fund to pay for some new banners in the High Street and Bridge Street. We wanted to tie these in with our Walton-in-Flower theme, so designed them to reflect that. Hope you like them! Update: These were very well received by the town and we're in the process of another funding application to get more for Walton, including Halfway & Terrace Road. |
WALTON RAILWAY STATION
We met with Walton railway station staff to discuss improvements we could make together to the floral offering at the station. This included the idea of converting the central reservation into a bee sanctuary by top-soiling it and seeding with wildflowers, painting the station house on that platform in a cottage theme, putting a grass roof on the corrugated steel hut, getting two tiered planters on platform 1, hanging historical Walton photos in the waiting room and creating a noticeboard for community events in the station.
We are also still helping push forward the Access for All changes put forward for Walton which would see a bridge and lift access put in.
We met with Walton railway station staff to discuss improvements we could make together to the floral offering at the station. This included the idea of converting the central reservation into a bee sanctuary by top-soiling it and seeding with wildflowers, painting the station house on that platform in a cottage theme, putting a grass roof on the corrugated steel hut, getting two tiered planters on platform 1, hanging historical Walton photos in the waiting room and creating a noticeboard for community events in the station.
We are also still helping push forward the Access for All changes put forward for Walton which would see a bridge and lift access put in.
WoTTA met with Hersham-in-Bloom and got lots of tips. See the article HERSHAM-IN-BLOOM.