Winsford hanging basket competition winner awarded Coronation Cup

The Coronation Cup was last awarded in 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.

As far as is known, the cup was never awarded again, and it passed into the hands of Winsford Town Council who have stored it away.

Now, in celebration of King Charles III's coronation this year, the town council has brought the silver cup back into use for its hanging basket competition.

Twelve entrants put forward their hanging baskets for the competition, which launched earlier this year.

But it was the basket of Frances Johnson, described by judges as 'beautiful', which was deemed worthy of the Coronation Cup.

Attending the presentation of the trophy and certificates, town mayor Cllr Ernie Welch said: "To attend the presentation of certificates and trophies at the Winsford Over Allotments was an absolute pleasure, and was so assuring to me community life is thriving in Winsford.

Jennifer Birket with her hanging basket (Image: Winsford Town Council)

"The hanging baskets were to a real high standard, especially the winning ones which had been grown from seed and cultivated into beautiful flowing baskets.

"Plenty of TLC had gone into them."

Commenting on Frances' winning basket, competition judge Jo Fawcett said: "A cone basket with a traditional planting of very healthy and abundant blooms of fuchsias, petunias, lobelia, begonias and geraniums.

"It was a beautiful basket, which the entrant had clearly taken great care and pride in constructing, with all plants grown and raised by the entrant entirely from seed."

Judging took place on July 12 in the presence of deputy town clerk Denise French and John Malam.

Nigel Durose with his basket (Image: Winsford Town Council)

Entries were of a high standard, and all showed good basket arrangement, plant variety and colour, and ongoing maintenance through the flowering season.

Two other baskets were awarded prizes, and a fourth basket was highly commended.

The other winners included:

Jennifer Birket - judge’s comments: "A traditional basket with a beautiful abundant and healthy arrangement of lobelia, impatiens, surfinia, geranium, and verbena."

Nigel Durose - judge’s comments: "A contemporary cone basket with a beautiful healthy display of fuchsias, verbena, petunias, geraniums and begonias."

The Coronation Cup (Image: Winsford Town Council)

The judge wished to highly commend the entry from Petty Pool Vocational College, which was displayed at Darnhall Primary School, where young learners from Petty Pool do their community participation.

Learners had created a multi-coloured woven woollen basket into which lots of work had gone on the theme of 'pride'.