Following the success of their decorative lighting scheme at Christmas, Bideford Chamber of Trade is to investigate the possibility of floral decoration during the spring and summer.

They agreed this on Tuesday following a suggestion in a letter from Mr John Lewington.
Contractors, he suggested, might undertake to keep supplied and maintained window boxes and hanging baskets of flowers for shop and business premises, and the Town Council might be persuaded to cooperate. A scheme could encourage visitors to linger in the town, which was particularly suited to this type of decoration.
The Council might be persuaded to do something along the Quay, said Mr M Brown. Barnstaple had an effective scheme.
The idea was welcomed by Mr Brian Cording. The cost would have to be investigated, he said, because metal window boxes would be needed and they would probably be expensive.
After it had been pointed out that the Manor Court had made a similar suggestion to the Council, Mr A F Colwill said he could not see the Council providing any money but they should be asked. A difficulty was that the streets were so narrow that window boxes went unnoticed. “If we want this sort of thing we should be prepared to help financially”, he said. The matter was referred to the executive committee.
The Gazette article is dated 25 January 1963