Todd's Botanics Plant Nursery of West Street, Coggeshall are Medal Winners at Chelsea just 5 yrs after Opening!
Emma and Mark Macdonald (Todd's Botanics' owners) worked towards their stand at the Chelsea Flower Show for some months leading up to the show in May 2009. Although both Mark and Emma have been involved with stands at Chelsea in previous years it is their first appearance at the prestigious show under the banner of Todd's Botanics.
The main focus of the stand at Chelsea was olive trees which Todd's Botanics specialises in, along with other drought tolerant plants. A few years ago Mark had the idea of planting a productive olive farm on the same site as Todd's Botanics in Coggeshall and this was recreated (albeit on a rather smaller scale!) in the prestigious floral Pavilion at Chelsea. With around 400 trees the olive farm at Todd's Botanics is the largest and most mature olive farm in the country.
Mark and Emma Macdonald of Todd's Botanics were filmed by the BBC for the national television coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show. The team were filmed at the nursery in Coggeshall in early March and the TV cameras caught up with Mark when they got to Chelsea to build their stand. Todd's Botanics had a 6 minute feature on the Chelsea television coverage on Wednesday 20th May on BBC2, and a further one minute interview on BBC1 at lunchtime on Friday 22nd May.
Emma Macdonald commented 'We were so relieved to see a medal on our stand when we arrived at the show on Tuesday 19th May. We tried not to be disappointed that it was bronze in colour! The journey to our first Chelsea has been a bit of a roller coaster ride but we felt so proud to be there with a stand that the whole team at Todd's Botanics can feel really proud of'. Todd's Botanics will also be creating stands in the floral marquees at BBC Gardeners' World Live 10-14 June and Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 7-12 July.
Todd's Botanics was set up from scratch in 2004 by Mark and Emma Macdonald - Emma grew up in Coggeshall and the couple returned to the area to set up their plant nursery when a derelict nursery site became available. In the past five years the company has grown considerably and they specialise in ancient olive trees, hardy palms, bamboo, perennials and grasses with an emphasis on hardy drought tolerant plants. Emma Macdonald is a trained garden designer and a planning and/or planting service is also available. The nursery is open to the public Thursday - Sunday. For more information please go to www.toddsbotanics.co.uk.
CloseWelcome to Coggeshall
The historic village of Coggeshall, with a population approaching 5,000 is situated in North Essex on the old Roman military road between Colchester and St. Albans. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Survey and during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries Coggeshall was one of the most industrialised places in the area, ranking alongside Colchester in importance in the wool trade. Today the emphasis is on small business, light industry and tourism.
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A bus service operates between Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford stopping
in Coggeshall - View the Bus Timetable by
clicking on this link. Many of the working population commute to London,
using the mainline train service from Kelvedon. An excellent Community
Bus Service, run entirely by volunteers, connects with trains both morning
and evening and was, when first set up some 20 plus years ago, the
first such scheme in Essex.
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Visiting Coggeshall
If you are a visitor seeking information about accommodation for your stay in Coggeshall please follow the link below to take you to details of hotels and 'Bed & Breakfasts' in the area around Coggeshall. Where to stay.
Coggeshall's local government is in the form of a Parish Council which has 13 councillors, a parish clerk and 5 council employees. The community is served by a retained Fire Service with a fire station on the outskirts of the town. In times of emergency (like the floods of 2001), Coggeshall's Emergency Team help those affected. It is made up of 3 volunteer team leaders and a list of about 200 volunteers who can offer many skills, and work closely with the other professional emergency services.
The community is served by a local surgery with two doctors and several specialist nurses and offers a variety of health services. The local chemist has a pharmacy that runs a prescription delivery service for the elderly and housebound. There are two dental practices, two chiropodists (one of whom runs a weekly clinic in conjunction with the senior citizen's welfare group) an osteopath and an optometrist. Contact numbers for these are on the Directory page. The Post Office has some banking facilities and there are cash machines in 3 of the shops. There is a good cross section of shops and services but the nearest petrol station is in Bradwell, about one and a half miles away.
There is a thriving Chamber of Trade and approximately one hundred and fifty shops and businesses, some of which are tucked away behind the doors of buildings that are centuries old. Excellent restaurants and ancient pubs provide plenty of choice for eating out. A list There is a large Garden Centre and a specialist nursery at one end of the village and, at the other end, a small light industrial estate, which also houses a large freight depot and businesses specialising in IT work.
Education & Sport for all
There are two schools - a primary school and a secondary school, which both serve the surrounding area as well as the village. There are facilities for adult education and recreational activities, as well as excellent pre-school facilities. The WEA (Workers Educational Association) hold regular courses throughout the year with subjects as diverse as Renaissance painting and Meteorology. The library in Coggeshall runs story-reading sessions for the younger members of the community and operate a book delivery service to the house-bound and elderly. There is a private nursery school and a parent-led group for the very young and there are all levels of the Scout/Guide movement in Coggeshall.
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At the secondary school there is a Community Swimming Pool which was built with, and is still run by, local fund raising. There are opportunities for sport with a football and a cricket club (teams at both junior and senior levels), indoor bowling clubs and various water-based activities at the local pool. The secondary school offers gym and sporting facilities, including a badminton club, and there are others at the nearby Country Club on the Colne Road. |
The Link Magazine
View the current copy of The Link magazine View it here.