To celebrate International Women’s Day, our local Newspaper, The Exmouth Journal, asked us for a few comments about how women are making a difference in their local community. This is an extract from the article:
Exmouth in Bloom is a strong, inclusive team, aiming to make a difference to the town.
It is run entirely by valued volunteers, 85% of who happen to be women of a ‘certain age’ who, having retired, have some time on their hands and want to give back to the Community. Six of these hold key positions on the Exmouth in Bloom Committee.
With the focus of the annual RHS Britain in Bloom competition they make conscious decisions to provide areas for pollinators, birds and small mammals, choose sustainable and drought tolerant plants and drive forward the need to recycle, save water and cut back on the use of plastic, peat and chemicals.
Their year-round efforts uplift the spirits and bring joy to the whole community and visitors alike.
You will often see the ‘blue’ teams beavering away maintaining their beds, boats and planters, and regularly working with local litter picking, wildlife, eco-friendly groups, community groups and schools.
Persistence is their watchword! If there is an idea for a new worthwhile project that they believe in, they will work, often against the odds, to get authority permission and local council support to make it happen.
They have made incredible changes in the town especially over the last 5 years, and are proud that women have been key in the driving force behind the success of Team Exmouth in Bloom.
They are ‘movers and shakers’ in the town, intent on making long term differences through projects such as The Swan Display and Mural and the Strand Roundabout, with its metal weed and fish sculptures. These are not only sustainably planted but also illustrate some of the town’s historical past.
So how do the volunteers keep going and what drives them? The answer is simple…..
They love being outside in beautiful surroundings and feed off each others’ strengths. They enjoy working in co-operation, all with the same aim. They discuss and plan options and the best way forward. They laugh and create social bonds with each other, (this was especially true during Covid restrictions when they were still able to maintain the floral displays as part of the exercise allowance)
They get ‘paid’ in praise with appreciative comments (and sometimes boxes of doghnuts, biscuits or sweets), from the Public and by winning prestigeous awards in RHS South West in Bloom.
