Sevenoaks won three Gold awards at South & South East in Bloom on 25 September, and the House in the Basement youth café was rated Outstanding.

Sevenoaks in Bloom won three Gold awards at the South & South East in Bloom ceremony at RHS Garden Wisley on Friday 25 September, and the town council’s youth café, House in the Basement, was rated “Outstanding” in the It’s Your Neighbourhood category (Sevenoaks Town Council, press release, 28 September 2026).

Sevenoaks Town Council, which runs the entry, called it “a fantastic achievement following a massive community effort”.

Three women standing on a terrace, each holding a framed South and South East in Bloom certificate
Penelope Robbins of Sevenoaks Soroptimists, Rockdale Village head gardener Annette Whitney and Cllr Dr Merilyn Canet with In Bloom certificates. Photo: supplied by Sevenoaks Town Council

A David Attenborough theme

The judges toured the town on Wednesday 8 July, visiting parks, flowerbeds and displays (Sevenoaks Town Council, 9 July 2026). This year the entry was built around Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, and the council says the planting also focused on pollinator-friendly flowers to highlight the importance of bugs.

Along the way the judges met the volunteers who look after the flower displays and open spaces with the council’s Open Spaces team. They come from Sevenoaks Soroptimists, the Sevenoaks Living Landscape Project and West Kent Housing, alongside local residents.

A group of judges, council staff and councillors standing outside the House in the Basement youth café, with flower planters along the railings
Judges, town council staff and councillors at House in the Basement on judging day. Photo: supplied by Sevenoaks Town Council

Rockdale Village, schools and knitters

The council singles out Rockdale Village as “a major contributor”. Its residents gardened, built homes for wildlife and made knitted and papier-mâché creations, and the council says the judges were “very impressed with their Attenborough-themed garden beds”. In July the council said the wildlife homes included bird boxes and hedgehog houses, and the models were animals and globes.

Eight local schools took part. According to the council’s July account, five of them (Sevenoaks Primary School, Dunton Green Primary School, Lady Boswells CE Primary School, Weald of Kent Grammar School and Sevenoaks Preparatory School) painted Attenborough-themed animal rocks, now on show at the Vine Gardens and Upper High Street Gardens. Dunton Green Primary made a whole-school tree out of painted rocks. Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar made flower sculptures for House in the Basement, students from The New Beacon School wove a globe sculpture, and Sevenoaks School ran a biodiversity bug audit in the Vine Gardens.

Willow Loudon, one of the town’s two 2025 Young Champion award winners, crocheted Attenborough-themed postbox toppers, one with Attenborough and a tortoise and one with an octopus. The other, Bonnie, organised another sponsored litter pick and planting session at The Vine with friends. Crafters from Knole U3A, Rockdale Village, the Knit & Natter Library Group and the Soroptimists knitted and crocheted butterflies, caterpillars and bees that went up around town.

A path under a wisteria-covered pergola in the Vine Gardens, with purple bedding plants and a pond beyond
The Vine Gardens. Photo: supplied by Sevenoaks Town Council

What the Mayor said

The Mayor of Sevenoaks, Cllr Victoria Granville, said: “Congratulations to the Sevenoaks in Bloom team for winning three ‘Gold’ medals at the South and South East in Bloom awards at Wisley, including the Town Council’s Open Spaces team and the many dedicated community volunteers.”

She added: “House in the Basement’s ‘Outstanding’ award reflects the contributions of manager Daren Mountain and all the young people involved. Above all, I commend Cllr Dr Merilyn Canet for leading the Sevenoaks in Bloom campaign.”

The council also thanked this year’s sponsor, NFU Mutual Sevenoaks and Meopham, and all its partners and volunteers.

What it means for you

The painted rocks are still on display at the Vine Gardens and Upper High Street Gardens. Children can pick up the Sevenoaks in Bloom bug and plant trail around The Vine from Café on the Vine and get a sticker when they finish it, the council said in July.

Anyone, whether an individual, a group or a business, who wants to help with Sevenoaks in Bloom in 2027 can email the council’s community engagement team at communityeng@sevenoakstown.gov.uk. More on the campaign is on the town council’s Sevenoaks in Bloom page. For the town’s other green spaces, see our guide to parks and playgrounds in Sevenoaks.

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