Bishop Auckland resident Nigel Bryson OBE was presented with the ‘Volunteer of the Year – over 18’ category winner, in the 2025 Durham County Council Environmental Awards.
A stalwart of the Bishop Auckland In Bloom (In Bloom) group, Nigel won the award for his voluntary work as the Secretary group between 2017 and 2025.
Since starting in 2017, the In Bloom group have entered the annual Northumbria In Bloom Awards and continue to this day. In 2019 and 2024, Bishop Auckland In Bloom were the Large Town Category winners. During this period, Auckland Palace Grounds, the Walled Gardens in Auckland Palace, the Market Place and Kynren were awarded Gold in the Special Awards Category.
The ceremony was held at the Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday 19 February. Nigel was on a nominated short list of three people.
Between 2017 and 2025, Nigel was the voluntary Secretary of Bishop Auckland In Bloom and organised the annual submissions to the Northumbria In Bloom awards. He stepped down as Secretary in October 2025 to concentrate on other voluntary work in Bishop Auckland.
He is a volunteer at Kynren, the Cultivate4Life Horticultural Project, Weardale Railway and is the Vice Chair of Bishop Auckland Community Partnership.
In 2024 he received the Northumbria In Bloom ‘Community Champion Award’ for his voluntary work in Bishop Auckland.
Nigel attended the event with Cultivate4Life volunteers, Tom Wright and David Nicholson and Robin Easton, Secretary of the Bishop Auckland Community Partnership.
Nigel Bryson
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
Brilliant! Well done Nigel
Congratulations 👏And well deserved
Many congratulations Nigel
Well done Nigel Bryson