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Sooke earns top award at Communities Bloom competition

The District of Sooke was one of three municipalities in the province to achieve a full five-bloom rating.
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Sooke stands out at the Communities in Bloom competition

Sooke received a five-bloom rating from Communities in Bloom B.C.

The announcement was made Oct. 24.

The District of Sooke was one of three municipalities in the province to achieve a full five-bloom rating. That rating allows entry into the national level of competition in 2017. The district was the recipient of thishonour in 2014.

Sooke also received a special mention for the Sunriver Community Gardens, with judges stating they felt itis “an excellent example of community commitment involving numerous groups and residents to demonstrate how to raise locally grown produce for family and local food bank use.”

Mayor Maja Tait was pleased with the honour, accepting the award on behalf of the district.

“I wish to express my gratitude to the community volunteers, businesses and residents of Sooke who participated in the event, featuring the beauty of our landscaped and natural surroundings,” she said.

In July, Sooke was evaluated by two professional judges on six criteria: tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape and floral displays.

The Communities in Bloom judges travelled throughout Sooke with municipal representatives, highlighting various new and innovative improvements to the town, concentrating on four sectors of evaluation: municipal, business and institutions, residential and community involvement.

“There is definitely a high level of community involvement [in Sooke] and it is very evident that residents have pride in their community,” the judges stated in their report.

Communities in Bloom B.C. is the provincial edition of the national program, a Canadian nonprofit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement, with a focus on the enhancement of green spaces in community settings.

The program consists of communities receiving information and being evaluated either provincially or nationally by a volunteer jury of trained professionals on the accomplishments of their entire community.