Wickford is Anglia in Bloom's Essex Champion for 2026, with Gold for the town and Memorial Park. Two years ago it was a Silver Gilt newcomer.
Wickford has been named Essex Champion in the Anglia in Bloom Awards 2026. The town also won Gold in the Large Town category, and Wickford Memorial Park took Gold among the region’s public parks.
Basildon Council announced the results on 25 September. The full list is on Anglia in Bloom’s 2026 results page, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
What Wickford won
- Essex Champion 2026, one of six county champions named across the region
- Gold, Large Town, for Wickford as a whole
- Gold, Public Parks, for Wickford Memorial Park
- Silver, Cemeteries or Burial Grounds, for Wickford Cemetery
- Level 5 “Outstanding” for Wickford Jubilee Community Garden, according to the council
The Jubilee Garden was also one of eight nominations for Best Community Project. That special award went to Rectory Lane Cemetery in Berkhamsted.
Gold, but not the category win
The results page lists eight towns in the Large Town class. Five of them won Gold: Bury St Edmunds, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, St Ives and Wickford. The category winner was Bury St Edmunds, which is also Suffolk’s champion.
In Public Parks, Memorial Park was one of 15 parks awarded Gold. The winner there was Wootton Park in South Wootton, Norfolk. The overall Anglia in Bloom winner for 2026 is Filby, a Norfolk village.
Wickford is the only Essex entry on the 2026 page to win Gold as a town. The other Essex towns and villages on the page are Stansted Mountfitchet (Silver, Town), Frinton-on-Sea (Silver, Small Town) and Wrabness (Silver Gilt, Village), which was also named Best New Entry.
Three years of results
Wickford is still a young entry. On Anglia in Bloom’s 2024 results it was named Best New Entry and won Silver Gilt as a large town. The rise since then is plain from the published tables.
| Year | Wickford (Large Town) | Wickford Cemetery | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Silver Gilt | Not listed | Best New Entry |
| 2025 | Gold | Silver Gilt | High Street nominated, best commercial area |
| 2026 | Gold | Silver | Essex Champion; Memorial Park Gold |
Sources: Anglia in Bloom results for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
One line went the other way. Wickford Cemetery was graded Silver Gilt in 2025 and Silver in 2026, one step lower. The council’s announcement does not mention the change.
Who did the work
The council credits a long list of groups, schools and volunteers:
- Wickford in Bloom
- Friends of Wickford Memorial Park
- Wickford Library
- Oakfield Primary School
- Beauchamps High School
- Runwell Allotments
- Jubilee Community Garden
- Wickford Cemetery
- Wickford Town Council
- Wickford Wombles
- the council’s own parks staff and managers
Cllr Jeffery, Basildon Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Leisure, called the awards “a fantastic recognition of the hard work, commitment and community spirit shown by everyone involved”.
What it means for you
Memorial Park is the Gold-rated park, and it is free to visit. For more to do across the borough, see our things to do in Basildon page.
Anglia in Bloom judges visit entries in July, so the 2027 effort runs through the spring and early summer. Anyone who wants to help can contact the volunteer group through its Wickford in Bloom Facebook page. Anglia in Bloom also explains how communities take part.
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