Man About Town – October 2026

By Mark Edwardson

Well, the long hot summer of 2026 is slowly fading from our memories like the tan lines on our skin. Those weeks of soaring temperatures and unbroken blue skies seem such a long time ago now don’t they? Blimey, Christmas never seemed so close.

Now autumn is wrapping us in its golden gown and winter approaches I thought it timely to remind ourselves how our lovely little town looked in the height of summer.

Congleton’s floral displays are nationally renowned. “Britain in Bloom” has regularly bestowed top prizes on the town thanks to the magnificent plantations, hanging baskets and flower beds lovingly nurtured by our Congleton in Bloom team.

They are supported by many organisations in Congleton, including the Town Council, but In Bloom is almost entirely staffed by dedicated and industrious volunteers. They do it out of love to dress an already attractive market town in its best frock. Watering and weeding all for the benefit of the shoppers, workers and residents who’re privileged enough to spend time in our town.

This year has been exceptional. While the lawns and fields have taken on a parched appearance that’s taken a while to disappear, the flowers on Bridge Street, Lawton Street and elsewhere have bloomed and the town has blossomed. What could easily be just another pedestrianised area has been a riot of red, yellow, pink and peach. We should be grateful for In Bloom’s horticultural energy.

However, the scorching temperatures and absence of rain wasn’t welcomed by everyone. And while lawns and flower beds continue to recover some people will be counting the cost well into next year.

Spare a thought for farmers. They’ve had what can only be described as a challenging summer. Sustained and record high temperatures conspired with historically low rainfall. The result - crops maturing early but with significantly reduced yields. Put simply, the bountiful countryside that surrounds our town has been rather less generous than anyone would like. Recently, I spoke to an arable farmer who explained that his harvest has been so badly reduced he’ll be tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket. Recall, it’s an industry already financially stretched. Livestock farmers have reported they are already running out of their winter feed stocks. Buying in fresh feed is possible but the law of supply and demand applies. Whether it’s from the UK or abroad it will be much more expensive than anticipated and that cost will find its way into your pocket at the checkout.

Whether or not the hot summer is the result of El Niño, man-made climate change, other natural processes or a combination of all three we should be mindful that what we have now might have to change. But I’m sure our In Bloom volunteers are mindful of the impact increasing temperatures will have on them, their project and the attractiveness of our beautiful Congleton.