News
Latest news from Chipping in Bloom is featured here. You can also view our videos at the Chipping in Bloom YouTube Channel.
For previous years' news, use the following links: 2024, 2023
Chipping in Bloom joins Christmas celebrations
As part of the Christmas Festival at St Bartholomew's Church, Chipping in Bloom has created this 'blooming angels' display. The Church is open right through Advent and over the Christmas period. Visit to see Chipping at its creative best - the range of displays is breathtaking!
Chipping awarded Gold in 2025 - and Best Village in the NW in Bloom
For the fifth year running, Chipping has received a Gold award in North West in Bloom 2025 - and for the third year running, we are the Best Village in the North West! An incredible achievement - and thanks not just to our CiB volunteers, but to everyone in Chipping for making our village such a beautiful place!
...and for those interested in facts, Chipping has been awarded a gold medal on 14 out of the 16 times that we have entered NW in Bloom!
Harvesting seed in our annual wildflower patch
In early October, pupils from the Year 2 Eco Committee at Brabins Endowed Primary School came to collect seeds at our annual wildflower nectar patch. The seeds will be dried and stored for sowing next spring. The same young people had sowed seeds for the nectar patch earlier this year, so were able to follow the flowering cycle of these plants.
Chipping in Bloom at RHS Bridgewater
Gathering inspiration for our planting next season and celebrating another successful summer, in early October a group of Chipping in Bloom volunteers visited RHS Bridgewater in Salford. Maybe we'll create a 'paradise garden' or a Chinese streamside garden....
Cutting the Hay Meadow
Every autumn volunteers cut our mini hay meadow - the traditional way (with a scythe). This has helped the wild flowers to thrive - our survey this year found yellow rattle, clover, knapweed, ox-eye daisy, eyebright and buttercups. Thank you to Pat and Ted for your help with the cutting.
North West in Bloom - Judging 2025
This year Chipping welcomed Bernard Pendleton and Sarah Wordsworth to judge us for North West in Bloom in the Village category. Although not as hot here as in recent days, the sun came out and showed the village at its very best. Thank you to everyone who has helped make Chipping so beautiful this year!
Chipping featured on NW Tonight
In June, Kay Crewdsen from North West Tonight visited Chipping as part of her 25 in 25 feature, in which she visited 25 remarkable places across the NW region. Shown around by Chipping in Bloom volunteers, she met lots of local people and heard about the history of the village. The video which was broadcast can be viewed at our You Tube channel here.
Chipping Community Help Out Day 2025
Around 50 enthusiastic volunteers joined Chipping in Bloom and Parish Council to help out and clean up our village. The green, historic centre of the village and community wildlife garden are now tidy, weed and litter-free, and swept. Afterwards, everyone met at St Mary's Parish Hall for refreshments kindly provided by the Parish Council.
Meadow Surveys - Boland AONB
Chipping in Bloom volunteers carried out surveys of meadow grass and flower species at Wood End Farm, Dunsop Bridge on behalf of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. Species-rich meadows support more priority wildlife and plant species than any other habitat type. The Trust is working with landowners to restore meadows across the Forest of Bowland.
New homes for hedgehogs
St Mary's Community Wildlife Garden also how has homes for hedgehogs. Built for us by volunteers at HMP Stocken, near Oakham, we will monitor whether they become occupied in the coming months.
Sowing seeds in our Nectar Patch
Every year we dig over and re-seed our annual wildflower nectar patch in the St Marys Community Wildlife Garden. This year, pupils and teachers from Brabins Endowed Primary School joined us to prepare the ground, sow the seeds and water them in. It has been very dry weather so the watering is very important! We look forward to having poppies, cornflowers and corn camomile later in the year.
New homes for birds and bats
With the support of the RSPB, birds and bats in Chipping now have some new homes. Sparrows like to live in communities so the RSPB provided terrace bird boxes like the one in this picture. We also hung nest boxes for swifts and ones with slits underneath for bats. The RSPB also supplied bird homes for Brabins School, so the pupils can monitor their use.
Preparing planters for our Coffee Morning
Preparation for our coffee morning started early this year, with preparing colourful planters ready for sale. We have also been hard at work splitting and potting up perennials and creating crafty items.
The Coffee Morning is on Saturday 22nd March at the Village Hall. Looking forward to seeing everyone there from 10am.