A town transformed by flowers

Walk through Biddulph on a Summer day and it’s hard not to notice the beautiful colours that surround you. Planters spilling with flowers, neatly tended green spaces, and the scent of picture-perfect petunias on the breeze.

This isn’t the work of chance. It’s the handiwork of Biddulph in Bloom – a voluntary group with charity status, who’ve been making the town brighter for more than 30 years.

We caught up with Head Gardener, Ryan Pullin, to talk about the charity’s history and its founder, Hilda Sheldon MBE. We also spoke about the memorials that now honour her across the town – including one that we at Caldmore Taverns are humbled to have outside The Royal Oak.

PULLIN’ THE STRINGS: Biddulph in Bloom Head Gardener, Ryan Pullin.

Biddulph in Bloom began in the early 1990s. Hilda – then owner of Brammers Shoe Shop – decided the town needed a lift.

“Biddulph was a former mining town and it was looking rather dismal,” Ryan tells us. “She wanted to brighten it up, so got together with a local councillor to secure some funding. She started planting daffodils under the hedgerows and tidying areas. That’s where I first started, while I was still at school.”

What began with a few modest containers on lampposts grew year after year. Soon, the high street was blooming with colour.

Moreover, Biddulph in Bloom was entering – and winning – the prestigious Britain in Bloom competition.

“In 2013 and 2019, we were named Best Large Town in the whole of the UK,” Ryan says proudly. “Not bad, when you consider we were up against the likes of the London boroughs and towns in Jersey and Guernsey – places with far bigger budgets.”

Over the years, Biddulph in Bloom has also received the coveted Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. And Hilda herself was awarded an MBE for her tireless work.

HOW FITTING: A shop once run by Hilda now flourishes with flowers. Foxtail Florist in Biddulph, run by Kerrie and Callum, was once Brammers Shoe Shop.

Ryan’s connection with Hilda goes back three decades. As a teenager, he used to join a teacher after school to help her plant and tidy. By the time he left school, he was hooked.

“She asked if I’d like to help her until my college course started. I said yes… and 30 years later, I’m still here!”

What’s more, Hilda’s encouragement even helped shape Ryan’s career.

While working with Biddulph in Bloom back in 2016, Ryan suffered an injury following a fall. An injury which meant he couldn’t keep up with the physical demands of gardening.

Knowing how much Ryan wanted to continue along a horticultural path, Hilda personally paid towards his training in garden design.

“She wanted me to find something. So, I did the course and eventually got work in garden design and landscaping. As a result of that, I now have my own business,” he tells us.

“Everything I know now, I can credit to Hilda and her husband, David.”

TRUE COLOURS: A selection of the vibrant planters on Wharf Road.

Ask Ryan to describe Hilda in one word and he doesn’t hesitate:

“Selfless.”

She was, he says, always focused on making Biddulph a better place for others. Indeed, that philosophy is summed up in the words engraved on her memorial plaque:

“I don’t do this for the awards and the recognition. I do this for the people of Biddulph. So they can be happy and proud of the town they live in.”

We asked Ryan to tell us of his fondest memory of Hilda.

“One of them has to be one particular weekend before a bank holiday,” he replies with a giggle. The two of them were working on a roundabout by the bypass.

“The town was already looking immaculate,” he says. “I just couldn’t see what else we could possibly do to this roundabout to make it look better than it already did.”

But Hilda wasn’t one for stopping where others might have felt content. She could see the bigger picture.

“It’s for the people passing through,” she told me. “I know they’re not going to stop here – but as they pass by, I want them to think: this is a nice town. Maybe next time I’ll stop and see what it’s all about.”

Listening to Ryan’s words, it’s evident that Hilda was a truly remarkable person. And that mindset is one that remained.

FOREVER IN BLOOM: Hilda Sheldon MBE, remembered for bringing colour, joy and community spirit to the town she loved.

Some of Biddulph in Bloom’s creations come with fascinating backgrounds. None more so than the Miss Bateman Clematis sculptures.

As Ryan explained to us, they were commissioned by Hilda a few years ago from local sculptor, Andy Edwards – a name you might know from some pretty famous works.

“He’s the guy who recently did the Lemmy statue in Burslem,” Ryan told us. “When Hilda got in touch with him, he was delighted to help.”

The flower itself has deep roots in Biddulph’s history.

“When a new Clematis is bred, it has to be given a name. This one was named after Miss Bateman – wife of James Bateman, who created Biddulph Grange Gardens,” Ryan explained. Hilda thought it was the perfect choice to reflect the town’s horticultural heritage.

After securing a grant, the four huge sculptures were produced. They were originally meant to be installed on the Wharf Road roundabout – one at each entrance. However, permission was never granted. Instead, three were placed on land adjacent to Dorset Drive roundabout, while the fourth was left in storage.

“For years we wondered what to do with it,” Ryan said. “So to finally see it now, standing in Hilda’s Memorial Garden, feels like the perfect tribute.”

FLOWER POWER: The stunning Miss Bateman Clematis sculptures that sit proudly next to Dorset Drive roundabout in Biddulph.

When Hilda passed away in 2022, Ryan wanted to create something that reflected the things she loved. Today, there are several memorials to her across Biddulph.

The Memorial Garden – Adjacent to Wharf Road car park, the site was once a community recycling point. Today, however, it’s been transformed into a beautiful garden in Hilda’s memory. And it’s filled with her favourite plants: herbaceous borders, lavender, a yellow Korresia rose, and a feature cherry tree. There’s also, of course, the fourth sculpture – something that Hilda always wanted in that spot.

Furthermore, the planters are 100% recycled plastic. Hilda would have loved that.

At the unveiling, Councillor Adrian Lawton called it “a tribute not only to Hilda’s memory but to the values she lived by – service, pride in our town and a belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”

He described her as “the heart and soul of a vision, a vision that transformed our town street by street, planter by planter and bloom by bloom.”

IN LOVING MEMORY: The Hilda Sheldon Memorial Garden on Wharf Road in Biddulph.

Station Road (site of the old bus shelter) – this small garden area now features a planter dedicated to Hilda. Just a few metres away is Foxtail Florist (formerly Brammers Shoe Shop), where the very first Biddulph in Bloom meetings were held. Hence, it’s a particularly fitting spot for a tribute.

The Royal Oak – We at Caldmore Taverns are honoured to have one of Hilda’s memorials outside our pub, alongside new planters that add even more colour to Station Road.

These spaces were made possible thanks to the generosity of the people of Biddulph and local businesses.

These include Pointon’s Plant Centre, Jacksons Nurseries, Chells Building Supplies, and planter specialists Amberol.

On hearing of Hilda’s passing, Amberol offered a “Hilda discount” on top of an existing discount and also made a sizeable donation towards the project.

Today, Biddulph in Bloom has a core group of regular volunteers – some in their 80s. They also have some new recruits who’ve joined through social media appeals.

Not everyone gardens. Some paint benches, others litter-pick, help with admin, or bake cakes for fundraising events.

The annual Open Garden Day is a major highlight. This involves up to 20 gardens across Biddulph open to visitors, some offering refreshments and homemade cakes sold to raise funds. Every penny going back to the charity.

“It doesn’t matter what your skillset is,” Ryan says. “If you’ve got an hour here and there, we’ll find a way you can help.”

FACES BEHIND THE FLOWERS: Some of the volunteers that help Biddulph truly bloom.

While the loss of Hilda was a huge blow, Ryan is optimistic about the future.

Younger volunteers are getting involved, and local businesses are increasingly supporting floral displays. Plans are in place to replace older planters with recycled plastic ones – thus setting a new standard for the town’s displays.

Biddulph in Bloom is living proof of what can be achieved when a community pulls together.

Thirty years on, Hilda’s vision continues to inspire. Not just in the flowers that brighten the town, but in the friendships, teamwork and pride that grow alongside them.

Thanks to Ryan and the volunteers, that vision is still very much alive.

And Biddulph continues to bloom.

Biddulph in Bloom welcomes all volunteers, green-fingered or otherwise. If you’d like to help, you can get in touch by tapping any of the buttons below.