Knutsford is adorned in flowers to coincide with the RHS Tatton Flower Show as many local businesses have decorated their windows with foliage displays.
Two competitions were held over the 17th and 18th of July. One was organised and judged by the RHS, with a specific criterion for entering and a theme of ‘Raising Awareness’ to interpret. The second, less formal competition was organised by Knutsford Town Council.
Naturalmat was awarded ‘Best Overall Window’ in the RHS competition. Their display, featuring sheep sculptures made from wool and foliage, was all made by the Naturalmat Knutsford team with help from their families. The display is a complete sensory experience with a calming soundtrack of the countryside (a sound recording taken outside the Naturalmat workshop in Devon) as background noise.
The Manager of Naturalmat’s Knutsford store, Faye Ravenscroft said “As a new store to the town, we have enjoyed being able to join in with other local business to take part in this competition. We, like everyone else who took part, have worked very hard to bring this together and are extremely proud to have won. Our awareness theme was ‘sustainability’ to reflect our company core values and demonstrate our materials in a fun and interesting way.”
“The local support has been fantastic! we have enjoyed all the fun new interactions with locals and visitors who have come to see our display and will look forward to more in the future.”
Morgan Edwards was awarded ‘Best Floral Inspired Window’ in the RHS competition. This is the second year in a row that they have gained an award in this competition with an impressive floral display. The theme for their installation is ‘Shop Local’ with the logos of Knutsford shops hanging from the display.
Winners for the Town Council’s floral walk were chosen after careful consideration from Knutsford Deputy Town Mayor, Cllr James McCulloch and Sam Youd, former head gardener of Tatton Park.
First place went to Detaljer for their beautiful display that aimed to raise awareness on mental health. Second place went to Gareth West for their abundant floral façade and third place went to Morgan Edwards.
A joint award went to Dafferns and Knutsford Olde Sweet Shoppe for ‘Best Small Window.’ Their displays cleverly used their space and reflected the identify of their shops. And ‘Best Charity Shop Window’ went to the Age UK shop.
Sandra Curties, Town Centre Manager said: “Knutsford is looking beautiful just now thanks to the great efforts our local businesses have gone to with these displays.
“Touring the shop windows is a magical experience and I would highly recommend taking them in if you haven’t already’
Sam Youd added “The quality of the displays have really shone through as they have all held up well despite the hot weather. Well done to all involved ”