Bloomin’ marvellous award for Barnstaple Station
A wellness garden, designed to offer a space for firefighters to relax and reflect, has received a prestigious South West in Bloom award from RHS Britain in Bloom.
The garden, nestled behind Barnstaple Fire Station, has provided a sanctuary for firefighters who have come away from serious incidents and are in need of time to unwind, talk and come together.
The design, created in 2020 by Barnstaple firefighters Adam Jones and Barry Tucker from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, commemorates the life of their friend and colleague, Watch Manager Steve Isaac, who passed away that year. The space features a Zen garden, decked seating, a garden room, raised beds, herb walls, a pizza oven, and a fire pit.
The team carefully selected flora to ensure year-round colour and texture, incorporating conifers, evergreens, and deciduous shrubs. The Zen garden highlights Japanese maples, hornbeams, firethorn trees, and smaller shrubs like ornamental grasses, mosses, and bamboo. Additionally, a stack of twigs and branches provides a winter refuge for visiting hedgehogs.
Adam Jones, who led the project said: “As a team, to have our hard work recognised is amazing. Our work as firefighters can, in its very nature, be stressful and emotional and there are times when we need to come away from life-changing incidents and have a quiet space to diffuse. The creation of this peaceful space really helps colleagues to put situations into perspective and has proven to be invaluable.
“We are so proud to have achieved this top award. It means so much to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.”
Judges from Britian in Bloom, who oversee the South West in Bloom category, have now considered turning fire station’s wellness gardens into a new category for the awards, and say they hope more stations across the country will consider creating their own wellness gardens for their crews.
One of the judges, who visited the station to see the garden during the judging process, explained how judging the garden will remain one of her favourite visits to date.
Su Maddocks, a judge for Britian in Bloom, explained: "I was honoured to be asked to judge the Fire Station's entry into this year's South West in Bloom but had not expected to find this amazing, tranquil gem of a garden in such a location. I was humbled to hear the story behind its creation and of the hard work and dedication of those who brought the plans to fruition.
“I had no hesitation in awarding the project the highest marks or of putting it forward for the West Country TV Award for Outstanding Specific Project. One of the criteria of the award is that the project should add to the quality of life of those who visit it and the judging panel agreed with my submission that the team had achieved this at the highest level."
Moving forward, Adam and Barry said they plan to develop the garden by expanding the walled herb planters and adding more ornamental grasses and mosses to the Zen Garden. They will also plant more bee-friendly meadow flowers to add more vibrant colours during the summer months.
“We hope it will remain a positive space for our future generations of firefighters, working here at Barnstaple Station”, added Adam. “Wellness is something we all need to be accountable for, and while we are here at the station, we will make it our mission to ensure we maintain and keep the space blooming.”
South West in Bloom is one of sixteen regional competitions that make up RHS Britain in Bloom – the biggest horticultural campaign in Europe. The aim of the community groups that take part each year is to improve and regenerate our local environments and neighbourhoods. This can be through the imaginative planting of trees, shrubs, flowers and landscaping, conservation, and recycling projects, and to sweep away the eyesores that blight our streets, such as litter, graffiti and vandalism.