Head of the Immingham in Bloom committee Cllr Stewart Swinburn celebrates the launch of the town’s campaign with ABP Port Manager Grimsby & Immingham, Mike Sellers and children from local schools (image courtesy of ABP/David Lee Photography
Following the town’s success in the 2014 National awards, Associated British Ports (ABP) will once again sponsor Immingham’s East Midlands in Bloom campaign.
Immingham won a coveted Silver Gilt award in 2014 – The RHS Britain in Bloom’s 50th Year – and the team was also awarded the RHS Britain in Bloom Young People’s Award, given to the finalist deemed to involve young people from across the community in the most effective way.
As well as providing financial support for the campaign generally, ABP will also provide the funds necessary for the town’s In Bloom committee to create a conservation area on a piece of wasteland on Washdyke Lane in the town.
Town councillor Stewart Swinburn is a head of the Immingham in Bloom committee and has been instrumental in securing sponsorship for the town’s entries, for coordinating volunteers and devising ever-more creative themes and displays.
He said: “This year the awards are following the theme of biodiversity and the Immingham committee, along with throngs of volunteers including schoolchildren from across the town, have secured an area of waste ground they are hoping to turn into a conservation area complete with bird boxes, butterfly houses and hedgehog hotels, which we hope will encourage all manner of wild visitors.
“This site will be available to the public to walk around and will also include seating areas and information boards so it’ll be a very interactive experience.
“It’s fantastic to have the support of ABP once again. Their assistance will enable us to be even more ambitious and build on the success of the 2014 awards.”
Mike Sellers, ABP Port Manager for Grimsby & Immingham attended the launch event and explained why it was important for the company to get involved with initiatives like Immingham in Bloom
He said: “We’re really proud to be a part of the community here in Immingham and we’re equally proud to be supporting what we know will be another successful Immingham in Bloom campaign.
“An initiative like this fosters creativity, teamwork, community spirit and a strong work ethic, but more than that it generates a sense of pride, and by involving schoolchildren and young people we are instilling these important values and giving them an area to enjoy and be proud of.”
More than 1, 600 cities, towns, villages and urban communities take part in RHS Britain in Bloom each year to show off their achievements in environmental responsibility, community participation and, of course, horticultural achievement.
ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator with 21 ports and other transport related businesses creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo.
Around one quarter of the UK’s seaborne trade passes through ABP’s Statutory Harbour Areas. ABP contributes £5.6 billion to the UK economy every year and supports 84, 000 jobs. Our current investment programme promises to deliver an extra £1.75 billion for the economy every year.
ABP…
- · Handled over 1.5 million vehicles in 2013.
- · Generates around one quarter of the UK’s rail freight
- · Has 1.4 million square metres of covered storage
- · Has 1000 hectares of open storage
- · Handled 119m tonnes of cargo in 2013
- · Owns 5000 hectares of port estate
- · Has 87km of quay
Over the next five years, ABP is investing over £650 million in a wide range of major projects across the group.
ABP Humber
The four ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole handle more than 65 million tonnes of cargo between them each year.
Grimsby and Immingham form the UK’s busiest trading gateway and move around 54 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
£75 million is currently being invested in the biomass handling terminal in Immingham, in a Humber-wide agreement with Drax Power Ltd that has seen £25 million invested in a biomass handling facility in Hull. The Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal will handle sustainable biomass shipments and will create over 100 permanent jobs once complete. The construction phase has also created 100 employment opportunities.
The Port of Hull handles 10 million tonnes of cargo per annum and is the is the focal point for the development of the UK’s largest offshore wind turbine construction, assembly, and service facility, which will be located on the Port’s Alexandra Dock. This new facility, coupled with a new rotor blade manufacturing base near Paull to the east of the port estate, represents a £310 million investment and will create up to 1000 direct jobs.
The Grimsby River Terminal represents an investment of £26 million and allows large car-carrying ships to berth outside the Port’s lock system. This development confirms the Port’s position as the UK’s leading automotive handling facility.
More than the equivalent of 1million teus (twenty foot equivalent unit) of unitised trade is shipped through ABP Humber ports.
Ro-ro and container traffic represents more than 30 sailings a week to Europe, Scandinavia the Baltic and beyond.
The Humber ports handle more than 70 freight train movements per day.
Goole is situated 50 miles upriver and is the UK’s premier inland port. It handles over two million tonnes of cargo annually.
