Celebrating 40 years of Amberol’s planters in Alfreton
A brief stopover at Amberol’s headquarters takes us to Alfreton – a town in the heart of Derbyshire with a rich industrial heritage and a delightful trail of floral displays.
For the past 40 years, Alfreton Town Council has been using products from Amberol to adorn their high streets and shopping centres. This ongoing partnership is a testament to the durability of our products, and a wonderful contribution to Alfreton’s local community.
A small team with a big impact
Amberol recently caught up with Vic Johnstone, Alfreton’s Deputy Town Clerk and RFO, about the Town Council’s gardening journey. Vic says:
‘We are only a small team – three part time office employees. I order all the plants and compost, and the actual planting is done by a local contractor called RSM Home & Garden Improvements - he does all our grounds maintenance work including the watering.’
Supporting Alfreton’s local economy where possible is a focus for Vic and her team. In 2023, Alfreton Town Council organised an ‘Alfreton in Bloom’ competition to recognise the hard work and achievements of local residents’ work on their gardens and allotments.
The team’s gardening efforts have had a mighty impact on Alfreton’s public spaces – and a 40-year history to back it up. Walking around Alfreton’s town centre, you will see an array of Amberol products, including Celebration Planters, Metre Square Planters, Promenade Planters, Parade Planters, Precinct Planters, and Hanging Baskets.
What makes Amberol planters so durable?
Amberol products are made from a long-lasting, rotationally moulded premium polyethylene material that is 100% recyclable at the end of its use. They can withstand all weather conditions – which is ideal for town councils who want visually striking planter displays to last for many years, as Vic explains:
‘The planters are excellent quality and extremely durable. Depending on the season, we usually water the planters once a week or twice in the summer months. The self-watering system is an excellent feature that saves us time, money and water!’
How does the Aquafeed™ self-watering feature work?
Amberol’s unique Aquafeed™ self-watering system contains a series of capillary action wicks that ‘suck’ water up from a reservoir onto a dispersal mat, which then distributes the water evenly across the compost, keeping it moist at all times.
Self-watering planters are a great asset to facilities managers and gardening groups alike as they only need to be watered once or twice a week.
Looking ahead
We asked Vic what Alfreton Town Council’s community gardening plans are for 2025, and it looks like a year with lots of opportunities for locals to get involved:
‘We would love to work more with local schools on the planting schemes. We also have aspirations to work with the community to enter the RHS ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ campaign and we will continue to organise summer and winter planting schemes in the town.’
A big thank you to everyone that has been a part of 2024 with Amberol!
Spotting Amberol’s planters around Alfreton Town is a reminder of the enduring partnerships that have been built since Amberol’s beginnings as a family business in 1969. We have planted, nurtured, and grown many of these throughout 2024, and want to thank everyone who has been a part of it.
We're also looking forward to all the meetings and events we have planned for 2025 where we’ll have the chance to show you all our fantastic products!
Tim Troman, Amberol’s Business Development Manager, says:
“The team and I are really looking forward to an exciting year for 2025. We have lots of events already on the horizon, new product ideas being discussed and, of course, I'm really looking forward to being part of Britain in Bloom, which is a fantastic community movement that brings so much pleasure to so many people!”
Our autumn/winter photo competition opens for entries on 1st November 2024 and runs until 31st March 2025. Results will be announced in April 2025.
Entering is very easy; just submit your photos of Amberol’s self-watering planters with your wonderful displays via the online form on the Amberol website. Your photos will then be entered into the public vote.
How can we help you?
If you would like to create amazing floral displays like the ones in our customer galleries, do contact us here at Amberol - we are always happy to help.
You could even arrange a personalised no-obligation virtual demo to see our products up close. Call 01773 830 930 or email sales@amberol.co.uk for more information.
