🏅 Culture Mile BID Celebrates Silver Gilt Success at London in Bloom 2025
Culture Mile BID is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a Silver Gilt in this year’s London in Bloom awards, recognising the BID’s growing impact in enhancing public spaces, supporting biodiversity and strengthening community participation across the area.
🤝 The judging took place on 10 July 2025, with the BID scoring an impressive 79 out of 100, achieving the second-highest medal category and reflecting what judges described as a “very good” standard across horticulture, environment and community engagement.
📈 As one of the City of London’s newest Business Improvement Districts, Culture Mile BID has rapidly developed a reputation for ambitious greening and placemaking projects. Judges praised the BID’s clear framework, guided by its Public Realm Vision and Strategy, Connected Communities, and Cultural Destination workstreams, which together shape a long-term, sustainable approach to making the area greener, more welcoming and distinctly cultural.
Over the past year, the BID has worked with urban design practice, Publica, to develop a design for flexible modular planters and an approach to sustainable planting.
🌿 Greening Projects That Stand Out
The judging tour showcased a series of new and revitalised green sites, with judges highlighting:
• Long Lane planters – vibrant, wildlife-friendly planting that attracted foraging insects even during the visit, with integrated seating for visitors to take a moment in the space.
• St Bartholomew’s Hospital entrances – thoughtfully designed planting schemes that support wellbeing and create a sense of calm for patients, staff and visitors.
• Cloth Fair Hidden Garden – a standout community-led transformation supported by Culture Mile BID’s funding. Judges were particularly impressed by the wide mix of pollinator-friendly planting and the creative use of terracing to bring a previously neglected space back to life.
• London Wall planters – innovative trials of resilient, climate-conscious planting linked to local heritage and the City’s biodiversity strategy
🤝 Community at the Core
The Silver Gilt award also recognises the BID’s commitment to working closely with residents and local partners. In both the Barbican and Golden Lane estates, home to a high proportion of the BID’s residential community, Culture Mile BID has delivered activities that bring people together through gardening, learning and creativity.
Judges commended the BID’s wellbeing workshops, estate-led planting days, community festivals, and partnerships with organisations such as Pollinating London Together, Octopus Community Network, and the Barbican Wildlife Garden volunteer team.
Highlights include:
• The Golden Lane Spring Garden Festival, which engaged around 50 residents in planting, composting, willow weaving and seed giveaways, helping to spark a new estate gardening group.
• Continued support for the Barbican Wildlife Garden, including the creation of a new pollinator bed with a bee hotel and nectar-rich planting.
• Active digital engagement through newsletters and social media, ensuring residents, workers and visitors can follow and contribute to the BID’s greening journey.
🙌 A Clean, Safe and Welcoming Environment
Culture Mile’s four Street Ambassadors were also credited for helping maintain high environmental standards, spotting issues early and working closely with the City of London’s cleaning and gardening teams. Judges noted the absence of graffiti, litter and dog fouling—reflecting the team’s ongoing vigilance and positive presence across the district.
🔎 Looking Ahead
This Silver Gilt award is a significant milestone for a BID just two years into its first term. Continuing to work with Publica, the BID Placemaking team are developing the next phase of greening projects across the area, including additional seating, enhanced signage and further biodiversity pilot schemes, Culture Mile BID remains committed to improving the environment for residents, workers, visitors and wildlife alike.
💬 Sarah Baker, Head of Partnerships & Engagement, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to receive Silver Gilt in London in Bloom 2025. It reflects the dedication of our local communities, partners and stakeholders, and marks an exciting step in our long-term vision to create a greener, healthier and more vibrant Culture Mile.”