FLOWER power is being used to brighten up an area of Bournemouth.

Neighbourhood Watch stalwart Norman Decent has taken his efforts to improve Poole Hill a step further by gaining funding from businesses and the council for seven hanging baskets.

Norman even dipped into his own pocket and is impressed with the results.

He said: “It’s nice to brighten up the area as otherwise people walk through and forget about it.

“I wanted to do it to make the area better and make it like the rest of Bournemouth.

“Lots of tourists come into town through here and it’s time to wake up Poole Hill. It looks very pretty.”

Norman was supported by 11 businesses donating towards the project with Bournemouth council leader John Beesley arranging for a £500 grant through the council’s Local Improvement Fund.

Norman’s latest project is different from his usual efforts at helping police fight crime in the town centre.

His successes last year included camping out at St Stephen’s Church with Reverend Chris Colledge and catching lead thieves in the act.

Norman hopes the baskets are part of a change in the area with a new restaurants and cafe opening and a children’s playhouse doing well in St Michael’s Road.

He is also pleased the old Poole Hill toilets have been fenced off, deterring drinkers from congregating there.

Cllr Beesley said he wanted to help make the hanging baskets project come to fruition.

“Norman has been working very hard on it,” he said.

“We were very happy to provide some of the money towards it as Poole Hill needed brightening up.

“We wanted to help the traders in the area and make it far more attractive than perhaps it has been in the past.”

Businesses help out

ON TOP of the £500 donated by Bournemouth Council and Norman Decent’s own money he was helped by 11 other businesses in the area: Chines Property Agents, Rio the internet cafe, Koh Thai Tapas, Uptown Girl, The Winchester, Foxes Residential Lettings, Pinocchio restaurant, Monroe’s, M J Wines, Pasa Turkish Kebabs and Scott Walby LLP solicitors